


Fare-E

by Ilyshaa



Category: Original Work
Genre: Body Modification, F/F, Fae & Fairies, Fae Magic, Gen, Investigations, Magic, Missing Persons, Mystery, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Police
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-18
Updated: 2019-12-14
Packaged: 2020-10-20 23:29:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 23,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20683721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ilyshaa/pseuds/Ilyshaa
Summary: People are missing. How far will police detective Niq Dubois go to find the answers?





	1. Searching

“This doesn't make sense,” Niq leans over her desk, a few files spread out and taunting her with their lack of answer. “There's a link in here somewhere.”

  
“You've never let that stump you before.“ Angela gently bumps Niq’s shoulder with her mug in an imitation of a fist bump before taking a sip.

  
“It's always been painfully obvious before.” She sighs and straightens, lifting her own mug for a sip.

  
“Only to you, ’Cassandra.’” Angela returns Niq’s thunderous look with innocently raised brows and a loud sip from her mug before she moves around to sit at her own desk.

“I'm *not* some ancient psychic.” Niq glares at her friend and colleague. Angela’s the only one to ever say it to Niq’s face, but she's pretty sure the rest of the precinct uses that name behind her back.

  
Angela puts her hands together and rests her chin on them, deliberately upping the reassurance in her tone. “I know you’re not. You're the best detective I've ever seen. You'll find the link…” she sits up and glances around the office quickly before leaning in again, her voice dropping conspiratorially. “But first, lets talk about last night. How did it go??”

  
Niq raises her chin, puts a hand to her chest, and huffs, feigning mild indignation. “I'll have you know I was perfectly polite. Kissed her hand and everything when I met her.” 

  
“Phfft.” Angela rolls her eyes to underscore the raspberry sound. “Of course you were. You could never be anything but absolutely chivalrous.” She drawls the last two words to sound extra pretentious. “But did you like her? Would you see her again? I only had one single roommate, so if it didn't work out I'm not gonna be able to set you up again.”

  
Niq takes a long sip of coffee, hiding her face behind the cup before mumbling “…yes i liked her.”

  
’Liked’ is an understatement. Niq and Red hit it off really well. Memories danced in her mind’s eye of the woman’s smooth skin, her delighted laugh, the way her deep green eyes lit up below her curly, fire red undercut when she talked about her studies. Everything about Red pulled at something in Niq and made her want to know more.

  
“Ha!” Angela balls her hand into a fist for a second before she clears her throat, a gloating look of satisfaction on her face. “I knew you'd like a red–head.”

  
Niq leans over her desk again, leafing absently through the pages laid out. Angela watches her, apparently happy to wait for Niq to speak again. After a long moment of silence Niq clears her throat and looks away. “…Did she say anything? About me. Would she go out again?” She looks back to the case papers, her fingers moving the pages absently. Her eyes slide over the transaction history of a couple of the cases but she is waiting impatiently for Angela to respond and not really looking.

“She did, actually…” Angela says, taunting Niq with the too–vague answer.

  
Niq tries to play it cool, keeping her eyes on the case pages, but her ears burn for more answers. Niq stares down at her desk, watching her fingers flip between pages in a poor imitation of work.

  
’You must See…’

  
Niq blinks at the deep ringing voice popping into her head. Her eyes narrow at something on the pages. Her head tilts to the side as she turns her full attention to the lists in her hand. Her eyes look closely over the transactions for two missing people.  
“I see it…” Niq barely whispers.

  
Angela sees Niq's focus shift, and drops the previous topic. “What is it? What did you find?” She sits up, her playful demeanor gone.

  
Niq grabs a highlighter and marks a line on both pages. She shuffles though two more cases and highlights a line on one of the pages. “It's here.” She looks at Angela, her brown eyes flashing.

“What is it??” Angela moves around her desk to stand beside the senior detective.

“The same transactions. How did I not see it? This company is involved.” She pulls the sheets out then steps back as Angela leans forward to see.

“It's a micro–transaction from a service app. Not everyone has it. Are you sure they're connected?” She looks up from her examination of the files but Niq is already walking out the door.

~

Niq stands in the small lobby of E–Fare. The space is little more than a foyer. The tiny desk in the center is particularly neat, with little to no indication it's staffed, except for the nervous looking young woman who was sitting behind it when she walked in. She watches Niq with unusually large eyes as she stammers over the phone that “a detective wants to speak to whoever is in charge here.” Where is her accent from? Another couple minutes and a young man in a suit comes through the plain door set near the desk.

“Detective? I'm Erik Swanson. It's nice to meet you.” He smiles brightly and offers his hand. He has the same accent as the receptionist.

Niq looks sharply at him as she shakes the offered hand. He is conventionally handsome, and his handshake is firm, but something in how he says his name catches her attention. Like he enjoys saying it, the way an actor enjoys their parts, because it's not really his.

“Yes. I take it you're the manager?”

“Yes! I'm the Chief Ideation Executive.”What? “Please come through, we can talk in the conference room.”

They step through the doorway and are greeted by exactly what Niq expects the office of a ’hip startup app’ to look like: organized chaos. People sit at desks going through messy paper stacks near their keyboards, or stand holding papers while talking. Actually, there's a lot of paper use for a digital business.

As she moves through the office behind Erik she notices a faint buzz at the back of her head and has the sensation of walking on ice. Like the ground is solid but threatening a slip if you aren't careful.

He continues down the walkway, pointing out different areas as they move through the supposedly open concept office. The people pause what they are doing to watch her walk past. Their eyes are large, and they almost seem to forget to blink. Haven't they ever seen a cop before? The ceiling is high and open but there are walls between each department that end just above eye height, which leaves Niq feeling both exposed and a little cornered. The only windows in the converted warehouse space are small and high on the outermost walls. She can see the daylight slipping away. 

“On this side is our accounting team, and the other is our technical staff. They are wizards at programming. Here we are, the main conference room.” The room is a generic feeling room with several cushy swivel style chairs along both sides of a long table. She moves into the room but doesn't take a seat as the door clicks shut.

“I appreciate you meeting with me. I'm working on some missing persons cases and E–Fare seems to be a common thread between a few of them.”

“I'll help however I can, but I don't know what we can really do. We are the number one app in the stores right now, a lot of people have us on their phones.”

“Your app matches drivers with riders.Do you do background checks on them before allowing them to drive?” Niq flips opens her small notepad and clicks her pen a couple times as she asks her questions.

“Yes, of course. The safety of our riders is our number one concern. We do a thorough check on each driver.” Erik leans a hip on the table and slouches a bit, almost a casual pose. Like they were discussing the weather or yesterday’s ball game. His eyes aren't large but Niq notices his blinks. Well, she notices how few of them there are.

Blink.

“How do you match drivers and riders?” She scribbles a bit onto the paper, her voice clear of her rising unease. The buzz in her head gets worse, but she ignores it.

“We use a combination of location and preference. If a rider prefers hybrid or electric cars they can choose a driver that fits.” 

“Do you keep records of people’s rides and their drivers? Of where they were picked up and dropped off? And which rider had which driver?”

“Yes, the system uses the location data to show a variety of things. Such as available drivers, wait time, travel distance, and cost.”

“I'll need those records.”

“Absolutely. I can have them brought up. I will need the names of who you want the information on.” 

Blink. It's like he has to remind himself to blink.

Niq flips to a fresh page, jots down three names and pulls the sheet from the notebook. She hands it to Erik, trying to remember which stimulant makes your blinking so erratic. She watches as he looks over the sheet but his eyes don't move like he's reading the writing. They move around the small page like he's fascinated at the whole paper but trying to contain it. She tenses her jaw as the buzz in her head starts to hurt. She should get the records and leave.

Blink.

“I'll need each of their ride history for the last two years. Start and stop locations, who their drivers were for each ride, and the history of those drivers. Background check, complaints, everything.”

“Of course. We will get all this ready for you. It will take a couple days to get everything together.”

Really, just like that? Niq’s eyebrows rise for a moment but she smiles to cover her suspicion and reaches into her back pocket.

“Great. Here's my card. Call me when it's ready or bring it by the precinct.”

Erik takes her card, looking it over with the same fascination as the scrap with names. Is he illiterate? Doesn't matter, it's time to go. Niq’s head hurts and the silence is awkward.

“It's late, I'll let you get started.” Niq says as she takes a step to the door. She has it open before Erik seems to come out of his daze with a start.

“I'll walk you out!” He follows her out of the room and back down the way they came in, a wide smile on his face.

People pause their conversations as the two pass. Some stare with large eyes while others smile at the pair. The smiles are unnervingly wide, pressing the cheeks back and showing a lot of teeth.The stares are sometimes broken with a tiny jump and awkward blink. Every person seems to have that erratic blinking. Niq’s headache is getting worse. She clenches her jaw and tries to concentrate on getting to the exit without letting the pain show.

As soon as she steps back into the lobby the buzz disappears. The sudden lack of pain surprises her and she looks back to the door. Erik stands on the threshold and smiles, a hand extended towards her. She shakes it on habit and mumbles a goodnight, which Erik mimics.

She turns and exits, the whole encounter playing back in her head. There's something weird about Erik and this company. It's like all the small interactions are a new to him. And what was with everybody's blinking? Niq decides to head back to the station and look into this company more. There's something going on here. She can feel it.

~

Niq heads down the street, the air turning crisp as the last light fades. She turns a corner and spots Red standing under a light a bit down the way. She approaches, deliberately making her steps audible.

“Red?” She calls out as she approaches. The woman looks up from her phone. Its only been a day since their date but Niq gets a thrill when Red meets her gaze and smiles brightly.

“Hey, Niq! What are you doing around here?”

“I had a meeting, you?”

“Waiting on a ride home. I'm trying this new service, E–Fare. Supposed to be better than Ultra and Swyft.” Red says as she shrugs and checks her phone again. Her sour expression shows she doesn't see what she wants.

“E–Fare? That's a weird coincidence.” Niq pushes her hands deeper into her pockets and looks up and down the road, a sense of unease settling onto her shoulders.

Red looks at her phone again and acknowledges a notification, “Well, I'll see if it really is better. Looks like this is the guy.” Niq glances over her shoulder to see a very nondescript sedan pull over just in front of them. As Red takes a step towards the car Niq gets an itch at the back of her head. She jumps forward before the window rolls down. 

“I'll come with you!” She clears her throat and adds quieter, “just in case.”

Red looks to her quizzically and then smiles and opens the door. She climbs in, sliding across to sit behind the driver seat. Niq climbs in and buckles the belt as the car pulls away from the curb. The driver is an older man wearing a brown knit sweater over a forgettable shirt topped by a newsboy hat.

“Two of you tonight?” He doesn't look back as he asks, his voice a rumble from the front seat. Was there surprise in his tone? Before she can think on it too much Red responds.

“Thanks for the pickup, just needed a ride.”

“It's no trouble,” the older driver says in his chipper baritone, “I'm happy to do it. Its a good way to fill my evenings.” They drive through town, taking a route with more turns than is strictly necessary but still heading in the right general direction.

Red taps through her phone. Niq watches out the window, not sure why she's so uneasy. They come to a stop at a light sitting under a bridge. Is this light taking a long time?

“You're a strong one aren't you?” The driver asks.

“What?” Niq blinks at him, her breath coming harder as she feels fatigue catch up to her. The buzz in her head is back and quickly starting to hurt.

Red’s phone clatters to the floor. The noise startles Niq and she looks over to see Red slumped over. Oh god is she dead?? Niq grabs the driver’s sleeve.

“What did you do?” Her hand shakes as she grips the fabric in a white knuckle hold. Why isn't he fighting? Niq doesn't smell anything but her head spins and she fights a touch of nausea. The driver finally turns towards her.

“You _are_ a strong one. You should be asleep by now.” His grin is too wide. Too toothy. He blinks and Niq gets a cold shiver. It's the same awkward, barely remembered blink as the office workers at E–Fare.

Niq drops her hold and throws herself back, away from the driver. This was a trap! She tries the door but it's locked. Her head pounds. She can hardly breath. Her limbs are too heavy. She coughs and collapses into the seat, slumping over onto Red.

He said asleep. Not dead. Niq has enough time to feel both relief and regret before the blackness overtakes her. She wanted to keep Red safe.

~


	2. Voices in the Dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mysterious voices are mysterious....and creepy.

“There's two!”

“What?”

“Why did you pull two?? There was only supposed to be one.”

“I didn't! There was only one when I pulled! I don't understand. Is she human? She doesn't feel like one of us.”

“She must be one of us. She's here. Humans die in the crossing without an escort.”

“Let's put her with the others. She'll show and we can see what kind she is.”

“Taurulian isn't going to like this.”


	3. New Places, New Faces

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waking up with a start...

~

Niq comes back to consciousness with a start. She sits up quickly, backing away from the small crowd gathered nearby. She bumps into a body, it's Red. She puts an arm out to protect the woman and faces the other people. Red huddles behind her, a hand bunching into the back of Niq's shirt. Niq doesn't have time to address how relieved she is seeing Red with her and awake. 

“It's ok. It's ok. You're both ok.” A small woman says gently. She's wearing a black dress and a cascade of necklaces. Niq has the feeling she should recognize her, but this woman has unusually large eyes, wispy white hair, and blue skin. ..blue skin? Niq looks at the people gathered, blinking as if that would clear her eyes. Her look turns sharp at the one who spoke but the woman continues before Niq speaks “You're both safe. No one here will hurt you.” Her voice is even and soft, articulating everything clearly as if she’s talking to a frightened animal, which given the circumstances isn't too far off from the truth. She has her hands up in a placating gesture, though the overly long fingers are worrisome. She notices Niq looking at them and folds her hands up, as if to make them seem less unusual.

“Where are we? How did we get here?” Niq demands, looking at the faces in the the small crowd. They are all young and oddly familiar, though most have unusual skin and hair color. All have something inhuman about them. She can't shake the sense she's seen them before. Their clothes are varied but undeniably from earth. From earth? Aren't they still on earth?? She has a moment of surreal wonderment at her own thought. She realizes the people are all on the same level as the two newcomers, sitting or kneeling back far enough to be non–threatening. She sighs lightly and relaxes a bit, lowering her arm most of the way. She sits up fully, tucking her ankles under her knees in a cross legged sit, deliberately staying directly in front of Red.

“We don't know. We all just… woke up here,” the same woman says, sitting back on her ankles, her hands folding in her lap. She is closer than all the others and seems to be the only one interested, or maybe willing, to speak. “We don't know why they took us. There's no one to ask and we can't really find a common thread…” she trails off, looking away. Her face scrunches up slightly, like she has more to say.

“Who are you?” Niq's brows furrow together. She looks around the area a bit more since the people don't seem to be an immediate threat. They are in an alcove in a garden, the ground covered in soft moss and clovers. She can see more garden out past a set of narrow pillars, the lush greenery healthy looking and inviting. Other than a few pillars and short stone walls the garden looks like mostly plants with minimal grooming.

“I'm Ann,” the woman says. She looks to her left and gestures to the others slightly behind her. “And this is Sharon, Marrick, Ray, and Mary.”

Sharon is a small woman with pale yellow skin and bright red and orange hair that falls past her shoulders in loose curls. For a second Niq thinks she’s jaundiced but the yellow is too bright, too radiant, and somehow healthy looking. She wears an oversized black cardigan belted closed that looks almost ridiculous as it hangs off her body. It looks like a wrap dress on her and clearly used to belong to Ann. Her shoulders are lifted slightly and she seems to lean forward, not quite in a sitting kneel. She doesn't smile, but she nods in greeting when introduced.

Marrick is a thin young man, a head above the others, even sitting. His dark hair falls around and partially over the edges of his face, as straight as a pin. His ears peek out from the locks but seem too pointy to be human. His name and shirt,–featuring a unicorn, a rainbow, and a whale somehow playing guitar– trigger the detective’s memory.

Niq sits up a little, her eyes looking closely at the young man. “Marrick? Marrick Rosing?” His hair has changed, it's much longer and perfectly straight instead of loose curls. He's thinner than the photos and, if the group is anything to judge by, markedly taller than reported.

His expression turns surprised at his name. He sits up straighter, eyebrows rising. He nods quickly and looks over at Ann, his expression a mix between hopeful and gloating.

“Yes,” Ann says, her expression suddenly guarded, “he is. How do you know him?” She shifts in place a bit, her posture underscoring her unease.

“I'm Detective Niq Dubois, from the Berxley Police. He was reported as a missing person four months ago. I’ve been on the case.” Ann’s eyebrows rise at the declaration and she looks to the others then back as Niq asks “What about the rest of you?”

Ann looks around, getting visibly agitated. She stands, waving her hand in a stop motion, saying absently “hold on a second,” as she goes to the edge of the alcove. She leans out and looks around the garden area for a moment.

Niq stands, about to follow, “What is it? What's going on?” but Ann is already heading back. She must have been satisfied by whatever she saw or didn't see. As she returns to her place, Niq sits again. Red again takes a firm grip on the back of Niq's shirt, her hand now shaking.

Ann leans towards the two new arrivals as she speaks, her shoulders push forward and her hands grip her knees through the black material of her skirt. Her voice is quieter, and she continues to glance to the entrance of the alcove. “My name is Anais LeBlanc. I'm from Chester, near Berxley. It feels strange to have to say this…” she looks at her hands a moment then back up at Niq, her voice firm, “I'm human. We are,” she gestures around, “but the ones who took us aren't.” 

~


	4. Introductions

~

Niq shakes her head, and a snort of disbelief escapes her. She makes a face and looks at the rest of the assembled group, expecting to see surprise or other expressions of disbelief. All five faces look back at her, serious and expectant. She looks over her shoulder at Red. The woman’s eyes are wide as she looks between the group then back at Niq. Her breath is erratic and it’s clear she is significantly more shaken up than Niq is.

  
“You can't be serious,” she looks back to the group at first then at Ann in particular. “‘They aren't human.’ What else would they be?”

  
Ann's eyes narrow as she presses her lips together, stealing glances out of the alcove again before answering. “I don't know,” she finally says. “I've never seen them so I can't be sure, but we didn't look like this when we got here.”

  
“It's aliens, Ann,” Ray interrupts with a frustrated sigh. “It has to be aliens. We are probably in an intergalactic zoo. Or in some weird genetic experiment.” Ray is a young man with bleach blond hair in a fashionable cut. He is athletically built but looks positively stocky next to Marrick. The only inhuman thing about him are his eyes. They look like turquoise stone, bright blue shot through with darker lines. There are no whites visible, but it's the pupils that really unnerve. They are vertically slit with a speckled halo of yellowish green spots. They look like reptile eyes.

  
Ann turns to Ray and glares. “Why would aliens kidnap us? Why change the way we look then just keep us here? It doesn't. Make. Sense!” Her voice rises as she speaks, frustration clear in both her voice and balled fists.

  
“It doesn't make sense it being. Imaginary. Creatures!” Ray responds, raising his voice at the end to match.

Red’s grip on Niq’s shirt tightens as the conversation gets heated. A tiny whimper escapes and she tries to huddle farther behind the other woman. She tucks her head down, hiding her face behind Niq’s back. Without looking Niq reaches back and lays a hand on Red’s leg. She hopes it's reassuring to the frightened woman.

  
“OKAY,” Niq cuts in loudly, “I can see this is an old argument and it isn't going to be solved by shouting.” She looks firmly between Ann and Ray, her voice back to a regular level. “Let's leave it for now and go back to something else you said: ’there's no one to ask’. Does that mean we are alone here? No ransom demands, no interaction with the people who captured us? No communication of any kind?”

  
“No,” Ann sighs, her shoulders slumping. Ray frowns, huffs, and looks away, crossing his arms. Ann rubs the spot between her eyebrows and then pushes her hair from her face. Niq notices Ann’s hair moving when she touches it. At first glance she thought it was just wispy, thin strands, but the hairs seem to hover around Ann’s head, moving as if she's in water at the slightest breeze or turn. She's brought back to the conversation when Ann continues to speak. “Nothing directly, anyway.”

  
“What do you mean?”

  
Ann lifts her face and looks up into the sky, sighing and taking a moment before looking back and answering. “I've never seen anyone except us here. We get meals every day. It's always enough for everyone, and it's good food. It's not gruel or anything. But we never see anyone bring it in, it just like, appears from thin air.” Ann’s hands gesticulate along with her words.

  
Niq’s eyes narrow slightly at the explanation and she coughs a bit to cover a laugh. It sounds like Ann is implying things magically appear, which is silly.

  
“The dishes get taken away too. They just disappear, no one comes to collect them,” she continues. “The beds get made, and just like the food we never see anyone doing it. It's like there are other people here, but they are all ..invisible,” she trails off again, her blue cheeks turning darker towards the end of her monologue. Niq watches her with an eyebrow raised and waits for more explanation.

  
“Well, we did introductions like you wanted. I'm gonna go –” Ray announces, faltering at the end, his mouth twisting into a frown. He finally shrugs and stands, looking to Niq and Red. “… It was nice to meet you.” He adds in a gentle tone, pausing for only a second before he leaves the alcove.

  
Ann watches him go, her brows creased and her frown cutting deeply into her face. Her expression is a study in displeasure. She makes a small noise of disapproval but doesn't move to do anything to stop him.

Sharon leans forward and touches Ann’s arm lightly. Ann’s expression immediately changes, softening and warming when she looks to the small yellow woman. “I'm gonna go too. I need to lie down,” Sharon says quietly. Her soft, high voice reminds Niq of small glass wind chimes. She doesn't wait for Ann’s approval before she starts to stand. Her movements are slow and a bit shaky.

Ann wordlessly offers a hand to assist, which Sharon accepts and gets to her feet with a short struggle. As she stands Niq can see Sharon is not just petite, she is tiny. Probably not even four feet tall on tip toes. When she turns to leave Niq sees what she though was Sharon’s raised shoulders is actually a hunch in her upper back, leaving her bent slightly.  
Sharon only takes a few steps before she falters. Ann flinches and her hands come up as if to catch the other woman.

  
Before Ann can assist, Marrick's arm shoots out and he steadies Sharon as she looses her footing. He keeps his arm out so she can hold it like a railing. Sharon lets out a long suffering sigh, her hands gripping his forearm tightly and her head bowed. Marrick looks to over to Ann, his brows bunched together. He lifts his free hand towards his face, holding two fingers up with palm facing in, pointing at his face, then quickly turns his hand palm out and points at Ann before he looks back to Sharon, not waiting for Ann's response.

  
The tiny woman takes a hold of his hand as he stands. He looks like an image that's been stretched, with his long, narrow limbs sticking out from his clothing. He bends at the waist so his hand stays at a comfortable height for Sharon as they leave the alcove, moving at her pace.

  
Niq watches as they go, thinking they look like opposites, one tall and dark, the other small and bright. Just as she is about to look away Sharon sways deeply.

Marrick stops and kneels down, hunching over so his head is at Sharon's level, facing the tiny woman. Her hair obscures his face but after a moment Sharon nods. He rises a bit and turns her slightly to lean against his chest. He drapes one of her arms over his shoulder then moves his grip to her upper bicep. He puts his other arm under her haunches and stands again, lifting her easily. She is so small compared to him she looks like a child in his arms. Her head lays on his shoulder, her face hidden from view. Marrick moves out of sight and Niq blinks, realizing she was staring.

  
“What's wrong with her?” Niq finds herself asking before she can stifle it. She looks back to the two who remain, her brows creasing slightly with a sense of talking behind the woman's back, her voice keeping low but tinged with concern.

  
“We don't know,” Ann says thickly, still looking out the alcove, presumably at the pair that just left. She presses her mouth into a thin line, her eyes shiny.

  
“When Ann and I changed, we just changed color,” Mary speaks for the first time, startling Niq with her smooth, cool voice. It slides over her nerves like a breath of frost on winters morning. Niq turns her eyes to Mary, finally taking more than a glancing look.

She is taller than Ann, but with similarly oddly colored skin. Whereas Ann is blue with snowy white hair, Mary is pale green, and has hair in a multitude of shades of violet, ranging from lavender, to lilac, all the way to nearly white. Her hair is pulled up in a messy bun with many locks falling free, framing her face and tickling her neck. Her eyes are large, just as Ann’s are, but the deep orange stands out against her green skin. She is wearing a soft looking long sleeve pink blouse with a short collar, tucked into black slacks. If it weren't for the green skin and purple hair Niq would expect to see her in an office somewhere.

“Sharon changed color too, but then she started shrinking and got sick. She's weaker every day and we don't know how to help her.”

  
Niq glances back out of the alcove, she can't see any more than she did before but now she wants to. “I think it's time I had a look around. I'd like you to show me the rest of …whatever this place is.”  
Ann and Mary both nod and stand, leaving the alcove. Ann wipes her eyes as she leaves.

  
Niq shifts to look at Red, the tight grip on her shirt stopping her from turning fully. She can see Red is pale, her eyes wide and dilated, probably from fear. She moves slowly, gently taking Red’s other hand and moving firmly, forcing the grip on her shirt to break. “Hey, Red. How are you holding up?” She asks gently, leaning towards Red to create a sense of intimacy. Red bites her lip through a frown and shakes her head, her brows scrunching together as she glances to the alcove opening. She looks between Niq and the opening, becoming more visibly agitated.

  
“I want to go home!” She chokes out and puts a hand to her face, crumpling forward against Niq’s shoulder. Niq wraps an arm around her and coos softly while petting Red’s hair away from her face. After a couple minutes Red takes a deep breath, her sobs died down to sniffles.

  
“Hey there. It's ok, I'm right here.” Niq keeps her voice gentle for the rattled woman, smiling a bit as she quiets. She lifts the shoulder under Red’s head to get her to sit up and look at her. Niq smiles and wipes away a tear from Red’s cheek and pets an unruly crimson lock behind her ear. Red sniffles and tries to breath deep breaths as she wipes away the tear streaks on her face. She eventually nods but continues to lean close, clearly not fully settled. “Come with me, Red? Let's go explore. We'll stay together the whole time.”

  
“…ok. … together.” Red holds Niq’s hand and nods, her voice tiny. They stand slowly, Niq giving Red a moment more to compose herself before they head out of the alcove.

~


	5. The Garden

~

Niq steps past the pillars, giving the new area a quick glance. Ann is standing nearby at a large shrub heavily dotted with hibiscus flowers, her long fingers turn first one flower then another as she methodically examines the blooms.

The shrub is about three and a half feet tall and dense enough to make a clear delineation between the walkway and the sitting area, but still short enough to easily see over. The area on the far side of the plant wall is a large expanse of garden with four main sections surrounding a simple but elegant water fountain. Each inner area is sectioned off by thoughtfully placed rows of planters, with bushes about two feet high. It looks well planned with several couches centered around a low table in one corner, some picnic worthy grassy lawns in two opposing corners, one with a large oak shading a good portion of the lawn, and an enormous circular tapestry rug taking up the final section. The lawn with the oak doesn't have the short hedge backdrop, there is just a walkway then another small lawn that slopes down into a small river. If someone were sitting on one of the couches they could see most of the inner area, but not the surrounding walkway, giving a sense of privacy to the inner area. The short hedge wall surrounds most of the central area, with several wide gaps regularly spaced so people can enter or leave easily. Surrounding the inner area is a long circular walkway, flanked by hedge walls on both sides. The short hedge to the sitting areas on one side then another, easily ten feet tall, on the other with semi regular breaks. Each break is marked by tall thin pillars, presumably leading to alcoves.

From where she stands Niq can see three exits from the walkway that don't have the narrow pillars. One exit looks larger than the others with larger more opulently carved markers, possibly indicating an actual exit. She can see the very top of another hedge wall a few feet past the opulent pillars.

“If it wasn't so awful, this would be amazing.” Red looks out over the garden, her hand still linked with Niq’s. Her eyes bounce around the new area but her brows dip and her mouth twists into a frown. She turns away from the view after a moment and effectively hides her face in Niq’s shoulder. They both turn and step towards Ann, who looks up and smiles, clasping her hands behind her hips.

“Welcome to The Garden. If you’ll follow me, the tour is about to begin.” She turns and takes a slow step down the path, reciting a monologue with ’to your left’ and ’to your right’ at the beginning of most sentences.

~

The morning starts with a slow sunrise, the warm pink light spilling over the hedge wall and turning the high mist into a cotton candy haze. Ann sits near the edge of the stream, her toes dipping into the water as she watches the stars fade behind the pink light. Niq stands leaning on a pillar at the entrance to the alcove where Red sleeps. She feels surprisingly relaxed, almost energetic this morning, despite having spent the night standing watch and listening as Red cried herself to sleep. She watches Ann, wondering if the small blue woman slept the previous night.

“Nice morning, today.” She says, trying to break the weighty silence stretched between them. Ann’s large deep blue eyes blink as the light increases and the last of the stars disappear into the haze. She looks over to Niq, her gaze slightly unnerving.

“It's the same, you know. Every day.” She says, pulling her toes from the water and wiping a few droplets from the tops of her feet before standing and moving a little closer to the other woman.

“What do you mean?”

“Every day is exactly the same.” She repeats, clasping her hands together loosely and leaning back into the short hedge wall that divides the the main gathering areas of the garden from the walkway and riverbank. “The morning light comes in making the mist block out the stars. Then the sky clears to blue with a few clouds, but it's never cloudy. It never rains. The sun is never too sunny, and the shade is always wonderfully cool. It's never windy, but there are breezes. The evening arrives and then the night. A perfect night with no rain, no dew, perfect temperatures for sleeping.No annoying bugs, even, but there are fireflies, which is nice.”

Niq snorts a short laugh, “I can see why Ray says it's aliens. It sounds very climate controlled.” Ann gives her a dismissive look and turns her head to the pink sky.

“Pretty soon the sky will change,” she says.

Niq watches Ann for another moment then turns her eyes upward and waits, wondering if either of the two young people are right.

The pink lit haze rolls gently, looking almost like clouds, but too close and too blurry. She only has to wait half a minute before the tops of the hedge walls shake and rustle. A quick breeze kicks up, pushing Ann and Niq’s hair around. She tucks a few dark strands behind her ear and looks back just as the mist dissipates. It's not the normal slow burn off she's used to seeing with mist or fog. The high pink haze is there, then a heartbeat later its gone. It's as if the usual process happened but sped up so it only took a couple seconds instead of twenty minutes. Her eyebrows rise and she looks at Ann. Ann is standing there, watching the sky with her hands clasped behind her back now and an odd expression on her face under lowered brows. Niq can't decide if Ann's unnerved or irritated at the change to the sky.

“You would think I would be used to it by now, but it still bothers me,” she says, possibly to herself. She shrugs and then turns slightly as if to wander off.

“How long have you been here?” Niq asks quickly, her hand almost reaching out to the young woman. She can't say exactly why, but she doesn't want the conversation to end. “…what's your story?”

Ann turns back to her, pausing to look at the older woman for a moment before answering.“I've been here for six months, maybe less? It's hard to tell time. I was going to start college in the fall. I'm pretty sure I missed it.” She moves across the walkway, casually approaching Niq, one eyebrow rises as she continues. “But that's not what you were asking, was it?” her voice slides lower to a conspirator level and she leans into Niq’s personal space just a bit. She reminds Niq so much of Angela, so playful and perceptive. “You want to know about this place, and why we all look so weird,” Ann's lips quirk into a knowing half smile as Niq softly chuckles and nods. Ann's smile turns warm, her hands coming together again in front of her as she turns and leans into the hedge wall again, this time next to Niq.

“I was the first one here. I woke up in the same alcove you did, completely alone. I scoured this garden for other people, or a door, or anything. I even tried tearing down the walls, but anytime I made it through, the path I found just brought me back here. I think I went a little crazy from it.

“I was so desperately lonely that when Mary appeared, god like a month later, I wouldn't let go of her for a week. It was a blessing to have her… She helps everyone when they get here.

“Not too long after she arrived, I turned blue.” Ann holds her hand up in front of Niq, palm facing down and her fingers relaxed but mostly straight.

Niq reaches out and gently takes the offered hand, leaning towards it to examine in detail. It looks like a normal hand, but like the fingers have been stretched. The skin is soft and warm, wrinkled at the knuckles and wrist. In contrast to Niq's brown toned skin Ann’s is blue, and not just on the surface layer. Her skin doesn't look painted.

“It was slow. I think I was changing for a long time, but I didn't notice until Mary was here,” Ann finally says.

“Do you have blue blood?” Niq bites her cheek, the unguarded question slipped out with her curiosity before she could stop it.

Ann’s brows bunch slightly and her mouth twists when she hears the question then she laughs suddenly, like she hasn't laughed in months and just now realized how absurd everything is. She doubles over, holding her stomach as the laughter bubbles out of her. The sound brings to mind images of a running stream overlaid with tiny silver bells. It's a sound Niq finds she likes, and is glad she got to hear. After a bit Ann settles and takes a deep breath, a wide smile on her face as she looks out over the garden sitting area. Niq has a slightly embarrassed one to match.

“I don't know. I haven't gotten hurt yet,” Ann sounds flippant, and the look on her face is playful.

Niq looks away, touching a hand to her mouth to try to wipe away the smile that would otherwise remain. It's not entirely successful. She clears her throat quietly and asks, “So can you tell me more about his place?”

Ann sobers and looks off into the distance over the top of the hedges. She takes a breath as if to speak but then stops and frowns. After another moment Ann finally speaks, her voice carrying a contemplative tone as she works her way through the sentences.

“Ray says it's aliens that are keeping us here. But I don't think so. To me everything points to fairies. Everybody has changed since they got here, and it's gotten faster. It took a long time before I changed. Mary and Sharon changed after like a month each. Then Marrick took a bit shy of four weeks to change, but Ray… He's barely been here two weeks and look at his eyes. No, it's definitely not aliens,” she chuckles and shakes her head then adds sarcastically “the only thing that's missing is wings.”

Niq chuckles and rolls her eyes at the blue woman.

Ann stands away from the hedge but turns and faces Niq, a smile again on her face. “You got the penny tour yesterday, and there's some time before breakfast. I can show you something neat. It's hard to explain but kinda fun to see.”

“Sure.” Niq turns and looks to where Red still lays on the bed. She can't tell if she's asleep but she hasn't moved from earlier. Niq decides to let her rest. She follows Ann along the main path around the garden. While they mosey Ann picks several flowers off the bushes. Pretty soon she's carrying a large assortment of flowers and has to use her skirt to help keep them all in her arms.

As they walk down the path Niq reaches a hand out to drag along the hedge. Niq stops walking and watches the leaves stretch closer to her, reaching as much as they can to caress her hand as it passes.

“That's weird…” Niq breathes as she watches the plants lean towards her hand then drop back as it moves out of range.

“…that is weird. They've never done that before.” Ann watches over Niq's shoulder, standing so close they're almost touching.

Niq can feel the body heat coming off Ann, and is surprised at herself that she doesn't immediately move away. She waves her hand back and forth a few times watching the leaves gravitate towards her like magnetized filaments then steps away from the hedge and puts her hands in her pockets. She deliberately avoids thinking about how inviting the touch of the plants felt.

They move on, Ann again picking blooms and Niq eyeing the hedges warily. She searches for something to fill the silence.

“When did Marrick stop talking?”

Ann tilts her head as her long fingers snap another bloom off it's stem. She makes a contemplative sound then answers.

“Two weeks, I think. We all kept falling asleep when he would say anything and he was getting upset.” She chuckles lightly, “I never thought I would use my high school ASL, but here we are.” They come full circle back to the riverbank area. Ann sweeps her arm out to indicate the inner sections. “And here we are. As you saw yesterday this is the main gathering area. It's where we spend most of the day because the couches are comfy.” She pauses, as if waiting for something.

“That's what you said yesterday.” Niq raises her brow, not sure where Ann is going with this. Ann turns her attention towards the sloping lawn that leads down to the little manicured stream she was sitting by most of the night.

“I call this The River. It's really just a stream, but I like “river” better.” Ann grins at Niq and steps up to the edge. The River really is a just small stream, maybe four feet wide, calm on the surface, probably a few feet deep. The water along the bank waves just a little, as if there is a current, rather than just stagnant water. The only access is the small bank area, probably ten feet wide. The stream itself has a short stone wall and tall hedge on the far side that curves around away from the main living areas and out of sight quickly. Tall hedges flank both sides of the stream on this side, keeping the view of the water’s path limited to what comes around a corner and touches the bank. “Keep an eye on that side…” Ann nods to the far side, where the water comes around a corner.

“…ok.” Niq steps over to that side of the edge, watching as Ann steps into the water, hoard of flowers and all. She sinks into the water deeper with each step. The bank must drop off quickly under the water’s surface. The flowers float on the surface, spinning and slowly moving with the current. Ann then jumps into the deeper area with a bit of a splash.

Niq jumps in surprise but Ann smiles back to her calling out as she and the flowers disappear around the corner.

“Watch that side!”

Niq looks over and waits. Immediately there's a little ripple in the water, then Ann comes floating around the corner of the stream. Just Ann. Not a single flower comes around the corner with her. Niq stares aghast while Ann climbs out of the water and puts her hands on her hips, her sopping dress clinging to her awkwardly.

“What..?? How does that even work??” Niq looks back and forth between the stream’s corners and Ann, her brows creasing deeper the longer Ann stands there silently.

“It happens going the other way too.” Ann takes a breath and sighs. She sighs a lot, Niq realizes, getting an urge to roll her eyes. “Unless you actually hold the flower, it vanishes the second you can't see the bank. Then you can see the bank again, and you're back here…” Ann squeezes her skirt halfheartedly, wringing some water out into the grass.

”You need a towel. Are there any dry clothes here? You're soaked.” Niq frowns at Ann, who shrugs and looks up at her, a knowing glint in her eye.

“Nope. No change of clothes or towels. Give it a minute.” As they stand there Ann continues her sedate wringing, only a few drops falling after one more squeeze.

Niq stares as the water droplets seem to evaporate from Ann's skin, her clothes lightening as if hours have passed and the dress air dried. Her eyes narrow a fraction under her furrowed brows and she looks closer at the young woman. The dress doesn't just look dry, it looks soft and clean, with no wear or frayed stitching anywhere. If Ann’s been here for six months, with no other clothes, her dress should be stretched out and showing the stress of six months of continuous wear, but it's not. The knit fabric looks springy and fresh, and even being oversized on the thin woman it looks brand new.

“It's another thing I didn't realize until Mary was here. The River acts like a washing machine or bath, cleaning clothes or whatever if you get it wet.” Ann says.

“This place is crazy.” Niq blinks slowly, shaking her head and looking skyward for a moment.

“Yep.” Ann pops the ‘p’ then wanders up the gentle slope. She pauses as she crosses the walkway, looking back to Niq. “Breakfast never arrives before the sun can be seen over the hedge, so there's a while yet.” With that she turns and walks sedately down the path, not waiting to see if Niq follows.

Niq stands at the bank and looks around the garden again. She has to find a way to get out and get everyone home. She takes the few steps back to the entrance to Red’s room, standing now in deep thought.

Red walks up, her hesitant footfalls warning Niq before her hand is taken in a gentle grip. Niq turns and smiles to the woman, giving her hand a light squeeze.

“Hey, there. Have you been up long?”

Red shakes her head and leans close, her voice small but steady. “Not long. I heard, though, about the water.”

“Yeah… That's uh, that's different.”

Red mumbles a sound of agreement and shifts closer. Niq puts an arm around her shoulders and the woman sighs, leaning more heavily into the embrace. 

~


	6. Breakfast and Surprises

~

The short table is situated on a large, round, cream and pale pink carpet. Six large square pillows lay tucked under the edge of the table, one at each of the six sides. Niq stares at the array. Every dish, even the table, wasn't there a moment ago. She's never seen anything like this. There are elaborate place settings laid out, and one simple setting in the center. At first glance they look identical and the table looks like it's covered in flowers and plants of all kinds, but when Niq looks closer she sees that each setting has minor variation and almost every flower is actually a piece of china or tableware.

Each setting has a large plate, nearly a platter really, with what looks like a huge thistle at the center, surrounded by a variety of flowers. The thistle’s long stem is twisted into a corkscrew and has three overly large leaves reaching outwards from the bulb towards the seat, with something different perched on each leaf. The bulb of the thistle is oversized and except for being glossy and enormous, it looks natural.

Surrounding each centerpiece is an array of smaller flower blooms, cleverly worked so they look natural with only a hint of odd shaping to accommodate their purpose as containers or dishes. At one place a small plate in the shape of a pink flower with five flat petals that holds four melon balls in a stack. Another place has the same plate but holds pineapple chunks instead. A daisy with slightly curling petals to makes a shallow bowl and holds either a honeycomb and some honey or sugar cubes. There is a large empty tulip with a clear crystalline handle that curves in a delicate filigree shape at each setting with a morning glory next to it that seems to be holding milk or cream for each person. The only thing on the table that is obviously not shaped like a plant is a large crystalline pot with filigree handle and spout, though the liquid in it is clear and colorless. There is a delicate leaf on a stem at each setting next to the tulip cup, and again, except for it being glossy and suspiciously similar to a spoon, Niq would think it was a natural plant.

Niq stands at the edge of the dining area dumbfounded, until Mary steps past her. She looks the table over quickly before heading back the other way.

“Ann! Breakfast is here.” She calls behind Niq, her voice raised to be heard but not that much since the garden is quiet. “How is Sharon? It looks like there's a place set aside for someone.” Niq turns just in time to see Ann go into what must be Sharon's sleeping area. She glances around the rest of the garden and notices the other three are still lounging around. No one has headed towards the breakfast table.

“Sharon's still asleep,” Ann confirms quietly as she returns. “She probably needs the rest. She will eat when she wakes up.” At that Marrick and Ray both stand and head to the table. Ann steps close to Niq as she passes and says quietly “Red didn't eat last night. I hope she'll join us,” and continues on to the table, leaving some semblance of privacy for the two women.

Niq looks over and sees Red watching from where she sits on the couch, her brows raised and a curious but disquiet expression on her face. She goes over and kneels at the arm of the couch, taking her hand gently when Red lifts it just a bit.

“Are you hungry? There's breakfast.” She rubs the back of Red’s fingers with her thumb and speaks quietly, deliberately trying to project calmness and support. She smiles warmly and tilts her head a little at the jittery woman. “You don't have to do anything you don't want, but Ann said she hopes you will come eat.” Red bites her lip and looks worriedly between Niq and the dining area for a moment before she takes a deep breath and gives a small nod while squeezing her hand.

“Ok. I'll go.” Her voice is low, barely enough to hear, but Niq does and beams at Red, returning the gentle squeeze. She stands, keeping their hands together and leads them both over. Red stops and squeezes Niq’s hand when she sees the table.

“Oh, wow…” she breathes, startled into stillness. She stands there a minute staring at the incredible table settings then blinks and looks at the four people already seated. They are waiting patiently for them to sit. Mary smiles warmly and leans over, touching the pillow next to her in invitation.

“I'm glad you were able to join us. I like when everyone can eat together. It helps promote a sense of community,” she looks at both Red and Niq then pats the pillow again and returns her hand to her lap.

Niq takes the pillow Mary indicated while Red sits between Niq and Marrick. Once they are settled Mary offers her hand with an expectant smile. After a confused look Niq takes it in a loose grip attempting a handshake.

“No, actually,” Mary gently says, smiling indulgently “we have some rituals to help foster a sense of belonging to a group, and being included. This is one of them. When we sit down for a meal we take a moment to hold hands and re–connect.” She takes a light grip on Niq’s left hand then looks past her, to Red. “Then we tell each other we are glad they are here, or that we are glad we got to meet them.” Niq turns to see Marrick offering his hand to Red. She leans away from him for a second and looks uneasy. Niq glances around and sees the others making eye contact and sharing small smiles. She offers Red her free hand, giving a gentle squeeze when they finally link.

A bit of tension leaves Red’s face and she turns back to Marrick, linking her hand with his to complete the circle. Niq can't bring herself to feel silly for sitting around holding hands with strangers. Somehow it feels natural. It only takes a second of the complete circle before she feels a slow buzz of energy followed by warm buoyancy. She has an abstract feeling like she's sharing something with the others, as if she's in on a secret with them. Before she can examine that feeling further it stops when the first linked hands drop.

Niq blinks and stares at Ann’s elbow just above the table. She didn't notice it until it disappeared but there was a faint glow around each person’s edge that vanished when the connection was broken. The others didn't seem to notice, so she looks away and holds her tongue.

Ann, Mary, and Ray look to the people on either side of them, saying “I'm glad you're here” or “I'm glad I got to meet you.” It sounds sincere to her ears. When Mary turns to Niq and says “welcome to the garden. I'm glad you're here,” it gives Niq a wave of affection for the people that leaves her a little startled.

“Thanks,” she mumbles automatically, still a little shell shocked at the unexpected emotion. From the corner of her eye she sees Marrick moving his hands as he faces Ray. He then turns to Red and repeats himself. Niq only has to wonder what he said for a second.

Red shifts on her pillow and says quietly “I'm sorry, I don't know sign language.”

“He said ’I'm glad you're here.’” Ann says from across the table, looking like she's trying not to be intrusive in their exchange. Red glances over to Ann then back to Marrick. He points to her, then gestures to the whole of the garden and gives her a thumbs up with a big smile. 

Her mouth pulls up into the quickest of smiles then she mumbles, “thank you.” She then ducks her head and looks away. Mary looks immensely pleased at the exchange but doesn't say anything.

Niq leans towards Red and says quietly “I'm glad I met you.” Red’s expression softens and she smiles again faintly.

“I'm glad you're here.” She grabs Niq’s hand and holds it for a long moment. With that breakfast truly begins.

~

Ann kneels up and carefully lifts the water pot to fill first her cup then the others.

Niq takes a look at the place set in front of her. The large thistle leaves hold a small stack of blueberries, two raspberries, and a half sphere of packed brown sugar respectively. The daisy side plate has a dollop of honey and a small bite of comb. She glances to Red’s setting, noting she also has honey, but her fruits are strawberry slices and tiny orange pieces.

Marrick rubs his hands together and lifts the purple lid from his dish first. His expression is confused and he looks at Ray’s dish. They both look at each other then over to Ann and Mary.

“What is it?” Ann asks as she finishes filling Mary’s cup and sets the pot down to look at them. Niq wonders that Mary's cup is steaming and looks like coffee but the pot has clear liquid in it.

“Its a cookie.” Ray says, his gruff manner from the previous day still there.

“What?” Ann scrunches up her face and gives him a look like he just declared the sky was pink.

Niq watches the interaction but all attention shifts to Red when she gasps, her hands coming up to cover her mouth. Her eyes fill with tears and everyone watches, still as stone, as she reaches into her dish to touch the thick, palm sized cookie in the bowl. It gives easily under her finger, crumbling like a delicate unfrosted cake.

Niq touches her shoulder and the hand over Red’s mouth moves to cover her eyes for a minute. “What is it? What's wrong?” Niq presses, worry in her voice.

“It's oatmeal cake.” She says, wiping away the tear tracks from her cheeks. Niq looks back at the cake. It looks like a large oatmeal cookie, but obviously delicate. “When I was little my Dad used to make this for me. He always said it's the only way my mom would eat oatmeal, and she wanted it every day. Especially…” She clears her throat and sniffles, trying to not stare at the cake. “Especially when I was on the way.”

“It sounds like she loved this dish a lot. How do you eat it?“ Mary asks gently.

“Uhm,” Red takes a deep breath and clears her throat again, getting ahold of herself. “It’s a little sweet already, but I like to put brown sugar and cream on it.” As she explains she picks up the brown sugar portion and crumbles it over the cake, brushing the sugar dust off her fingers into the dish. She then takes the cream and pours almost all of it onto the cake, which absorbs some of the liquid but most sits in the dish around it, reminiscent of tres leches cake. She then picks up the leaf shaped spoon and scoops out a bite. The others follow her example as she explains it but watch as she takes the first bite. Red closes her eyes and her brows furrow as she chews. She sets her spoon down and wipes at her eyes again, though they are dry. She nods, sniffling again and picks up the spoon to continue. “…this is perfect.”

~

Ann and Mary enter Sharon's room quietly, so they won't wake her if she's sleeping. Sharon lays on a small, green, strangely shaped couch. It looks like a piece of abstract art and she fits in it like a puzzle piece, ending up laying on her side and front, with her head supported by an outcropping of padding. She's awake and waves minutely as the two women approach oand kneel down to where she can see them easily without having to lift her head or move much. The previous night Sharon took the cardigan off her shoulders, and pulled it around to cover her chest, leaving it draped around her hips.

“Morning. How are you feeling?” Ann’s voice comes out soft but it's clear to Mary her heart is heavy. She notices Sharon has lost more size in the night, but she won't say anything. Mary takes Sharon's hand and holds it gently.

“Tired..” Sharon says weakly, she blinks slow as if she's sleepy. “Will you check it? …hurts a lot.” Ann nods and moves to stand. She steps around the couch and takes a look at Sharon's back. Her eyes go wide at the sight but her gasp is silent. Ann stares for a long time before she speaks again.

“I…” she falters and looks away, her lips pressed into a tight line. “… um,” she takes a deep breath and tries again. “It looks bad.”

“What do you mean?? What’s happening??” Sharon’s voice is shrill but still has that tinkling, delicate glass quality.

“I can't” Ann covers her mouth and takes a step back shaking her head.

“Let me look.” Mary gives Sharon's hand a tiny squeeze then stands, stepping around the couch. She gently shoos Ann back around to be supportive to Sharon. Ann kneels again in front of her and takes her hand, whispering apologies.

Mary's heart sinks when she sees Sharon's upper back. She feels the familiar, cool distance settle over her as she examines the tiny woman. The skin is haloed an angry red around two large raised green and yellow splotched patches. It looks like two huge infections, but there's nothing obvious about a cause. No cuts, scrapes, or other openings.

“Sharon, I need you to breathe deeply and slowly,” Mary says in a slow, clinical, detached tone. She waits for Sharon's compliance before she continues. “It looks badly infected. There are two elongated abscesses. There's redness, around the edge, but…” She pauses and puts a hand gently on Sharon's shoulder. “The skin is intact. There's no cuts or breaks. I don't see a cause.”

“I didn't do anything. Why is this happening to me?” Sharon cries, her tiny shoulders shaking with her sobs. Mary pets her shoulder for a moment and Ann gives her hand a squeeze.

“Sharon, I'd like to test something.” Mary waits for a squeaky ’ok’ before moving. She barely brushes the pad of her finger across a bit of skin at the top of Sharon's shoulder blade, outside the edge where it starts to turn red. Sharon's entire body jerks. She lets out a sharp cry and collapses back onto the odd pillow.

Mary nods, her expression blank and her voice still that hollow detached tone. “Sharon, we need to drain and clean the wounds. It will help to clear the infection.” She looks to Ann, her orange eyes slightly unfocused. “Ann. I need something sharp. Something to cut with. And then I will need something to clean and dress the wounds with.”

She only just registers the increasing panic on Ann’s face as she addresses the younger woman. She feels bad that she can't do anything to reassure her, but if she let herself feel things right now she wouldn't be able to do what has to be done. So Mary lets the distance form, her voice drifting farther away from a comforting tone and deeper into the cool, calm place where things are clear.

Ann shoots upright and all but runs from the room. Mary pulls the elastic holding her hair in place. The purple locks fall around her head in a varied cascade, the strands all smooth and straight except for a big curl at the end. She tucks her hair behind her ears and touches Sharon's shoulder again. “Sharon, I'm going to tie your hair up, ok?” The tiny woman nods and squeaks her assent. Mary very gently runs her fingers through the orange and yellow curls. She pulls the hair up and twists it into a bun which she secures with the elastic. As she works her own hair shifts, the short purple locks lifting off her shoulders and out of her field of view.

Just as she finishes with Sharon's hair there's a loud crash of breaking dishes and a chorus of confused shouts. Ann appears again, carefully holding a long shard of what used to be a serving plate in one shaking hand, and a couple of folded cloth napkins gripped in the other. Her breath is deep and fast, her blue skin much paler than normal and her eyes wild. She thrusts her plundered tools at Mary, holding them out as if in offering to a goddess. The rest of the garden’s inhabitants spill into the room behind Ann.

“What are you doing?!” Niq almost shouts. Mary turns her eyes to the crowd, her expression distant and cold as the dead of winter.

“Sharon has an abscess and it must be drained in order to begin to heal.” Her voice has no malice, but neither does it hold any warmth or comfort. She looks to Ann and takes the napkins, which she lays carefully on the couch next to Sharon's shoulder, then the plate shard. She looks at the tiny woman before her and a pang of guilt cuts across her heart. Her eyes droop a little and she says quietly, a bit of warmth entering her tone. “Sharon, this is going to hurt a lot, and I need you to be still. Would you like someone to help you brace?”

Sharon whimpers but nods again, the bright orange bun bobbing atop her head. “Ray.”

Ray immediately walks over to the tiny couch. He kneels down and speaks quietly, his abrasive demeanor entirely missing.“I'm here, Sharon. I've got you.” He offers his hands and she immediately leans into the couch, her tiny arms sliding through the openings to take a firm grip on his shirt. She presses her head into the pillow and closes her eyes, tears sliding down her cheeks.

“Ray, hold her shoulders steady, please.”

He nods and grips her small shoulders firmly. He is careful to keep her from moving but not hold tight enough to bruise. He leans in close to Sharon's face, whispering softly.

“Just look at me, Sharon. I'm right here,” he says softly. Sharon blinks and furrows her brows, gripping Ray’s shirt tighter, tensing her shoulders and back, bracing for the first cut.

Mary leans over a bit and lifts the broken plate. She takes in a breath and lets it out slowly. ’Keep it together, Miray. You have to keep it together,’ she tells herself repeatedly. She doesn't notice the chill that settles into the room as she pushes her emotions farther down and away.

She carefully presses the sharp edge of the porcelain plate into the upper section of the right abscess, cutting the skin easily. Sharon jerks, her arms yanking at Ray’s shirt and pulling him closer. Mary pauses as Ray shifts into a more braced position and nods to her. He tucks his face close to Sharon's, mumbling something quietly to her. Mary continues and presses the shard deeper into the wound on Sharon's back.

The poor woman cries out in pain, her knuckles white. Tears trailing on her cheeks.

Mary stares at what she's doing, pushing everything else away. She carefully cuts the soft yellow skin, trying to ensure the line is smooth so the wound can heal easier. She still doesn't notice the temperature sliding even lower in the room.

Sharon shrieks, her voice cutting across Mary like breaking glass.

The abscess must have been under pressure. When Mary pushes the shard just a little deeper the wound pops, sending a spray of shining, glimmering fluid out into the air. Mary flinches when it hits her but doesn't drop the shard. She blinks and stares at a dark coil poking from the wound, covered in the glowing fluid. She hands the shard to Ann, who takes it, shaking like a leaf, tears falling unchecked down her blue cheeks. Mary glances down at herself, distantly realizing the puss that just landed on her is actually glowing. She presses that down too, to join the rest of what she can't deal with right now.

“Sharon, there's an object in the abscess. I'm going to try to move it. On three.” Mary places her hand on the back of Sharon's neck at her shoulders, pressing her into the couch firmly but gently. Sharon's breathing is ragged but she calms at the touch, the tremors running through her stilling instantly. Her breath is visible when she exhales. Her eyes are nearly closed but she nods to continue. “One. Two. Three.” Mary counts off then gently grips the coil and pulls ever so slightly. The object moves instantly, sliding out easily. The coil is much larger than it should be, given Sharon's tiny size. As it moves the coil expands and unfurls into a large wing, small glimmers of light falling like glitter as it moves.

Sharon stays still, but a weak “ow ow ow” can be heard faintly. Mary steps back, her hands dropping to her sides as she gives the wing space to expand. It is easily the height of or taller than Sharon and wider than her arm span. The wing is a beautiful splash of bright iridescent green where it connects to her back then fades to a deep shimmering orange with a dark edge along the entire thing. There are pearlescent dots of various sizes splattered along the dark border on the upper part of the wing. It is shaped almost like a butterfly wing but after a second several long tendrils separate from the top and bottom, following the upper and lower shape, staying connected near the base of the wing. They grow slightly longer and curl at the ends.

Mary takes a deep slow breath, her ears ringing from her heart racing in her chest. It takes a moment for her to gather her wits and turn to Ann. She reaches for the shard then stops, her hand has the slick glowing liquid on it. She wipes it on her pants leaving a streaked handprint, and takes the shard again, careful to avoid cutting herself as she handles it.

“oh my god… oh my god…” Ann chants, her breath can also be seen as she speaks, her eyes wide. Mary ignores her. Niq, Marrick, and Red all stand at the entrance to the room, their faces awash with shock.

“Sharon, I'm going to cut the other one now.” Mary leans in and counts off again, this time she cuts swifter since she knows what to expect. She doesn't flinch when she gets splattered this time. She hands the shard to Ann again before counting a third time and gripping the wing to gently pull it free. She steps back, her eyes falling unfocused as she watches the wing appear. Sharon slumps on the couch, her grip on Ray’s shirt barely hanging on. She breathes steadily but looks very close to unconsciousness. After the wing fully unfolds Mary reaches for one of the napkins and leans in, examining where the wings connect to Sharon's back. The redness is completely gone, the skin rises smoothly and transitions into the wing as if it's always been that way. There is no indication of an abscess or wound anywhere on Sharon's back. Only a bit of lingering fluid.

“Sharon, are you hurting anywhere? I am going to touch your back.” Mary sounds almost like a robot, no emotion and no urgency. She waits a moment then gently wipes the napkin down Sharon’s spine and around the base of the wings, watching for a reaction. Sharon trembles but doesn't whimper or cry, and the tension seems to be entirely gone from her. Mary nods and sets the now glimmering napkin down. She steps back from the couch and walks out of the room, not looking at any of the others. She moves slowly, bordering on entranced.

~

Niq sits at the hexagonal table with Red, talking about food and family. The others have gotten up to lounge on the couches or check on Sharon, leaving the two newcomers to themselves. Red seems a bit calmer even if she's not exactly relaxed, which Niq is grateful for.

Shortly after going in Ann comes charging out of Sharon's room, her eyes wild as she zigzags through the garden. She spots them at the table and runs over. Red tenses up at her approach but in her fervor Ann doesn't notice.

“I need a knife! Something to cut with!” She looks over the dishes still on the table. She picks up a spoon then puts it down and looks at the table again.

“There weren't any, just spoons. What's going on, Ann?” Niq gets to her knees, trying to grab Ann's attention.

Ann goes very still, her eyes settled on the dish at the center of the table. She reaches out, noisily pushing the covered plate off the serving platter. Before Niq can press Ann further, she smashes the platter on the side of the table. Red yelps in surprise, diving away.

Niq flinches and shouts “Whoah, what are you doing??” Ray and Marrick stand from their spots on the couches, Ray moving towards the table again.

Ann picks up a shard carefully, looking at the long edge. “Something sharp…” she stands, taking one step away from the table before turning back to grab two unused folded napkins. “I need these too!” She darts away, heading straight back into Sharon's room.

Niq stands, helping Red up as Ray hurries past a litany of ”no no no no no” coming out. Niq follows right behind Ray, with Marrick and Red hot on her heels. They spill into Sharon's room, Niq calling out as she rounds the corner. “What are you doing?!”

She stops dead in her tracks at the scene. Mary's purple hair is loose, but it defies gravity, floating up away from her shoulders then curling in again above the crown of her head in a smooth curve, making her look very reminiscent of a flower. Ann holds the shard and napkins up to Mary like an offering. Mary stands over Sharon with a distant hollow look in her eye that freezes the blood in Niq's veins. Sharon lays sprawled on the strangest piece of furniture she's ever seen, and it looks like she's actively in pain.

“Sharon has an abscess and it must be drained in order to begin to heal.” Niq realizes it's the hunch in Sharon's back. She boggles at how badly it must be infected to have distorted her posture as much as it seemed to yesterday. Mary turns her attention to the tiny woman. “Sharon, this is going to hurt a lot, and I need you to be still. Would you like someone to help you brace?” To that Sharon nods, but before the question is finished Ray walks over and kneels with her. He says something in a reassuring voice but Niq can't make it out. Mary leans over the small couch, her words lost on Niq by the sudden chill that comes over the area. She takes a half step back readying for anything as the sky seems to darken with the temperature drop.

Red puts a hand on Niq's arm, stopping her from moving, her eyes fixed on the unfolding scene at the couch.

Ray crouches facing Sharon and Mary takes up the shard.

Niq tenses further when the dark and chill grows as Mary leans further over Sharon. Niq looks up at the sky but there aren't any clouds, or any reason for the sudden dimness. She looks back at Sharon’s shriek, just in time to see Mary get splattered with glowing fluid and then pull a whole god damn wing out of Sharon's back! Red’s grip on Niq tightens and she looks over to the woman. She sees Red’s other hand gripping Marrick’s wrist, keeping him in place too. Her eyes are wide and her skin is pale. Is she even blinking?

When Niq looks back to the couch Sharon has a set of wings, Ray hasn't moved from his place near her, and Ann shakes so badly it's a wonder she's still upright.

Mary walks away in a daze, not looking at anyone, or speaking a word. The cold increases as Mary approaches and then disappears when she's gone, as if she were wrapped in a cocoon of chilled air.

Ann drops the plate shard and steps forward “Sharon…”

“Don't touch her!” Red lets go of Niq and Marrick covering her mouth in surprise. She lowers them and continues, her cheeks turning bright red, “…you can't touch fresh wings. You have to let them dry.” Her brows wrinkle and she bites her lip.

“Wings??” Sharon's chiming voice calls out. The wings shift a little and then, “Oh My God, there's wings!” She whines and drops her head onto the couch.

Marrick approaches the couch, followed shortly by Red and Niq. Ray holds Sharon as best he can and pets her hair gently, oblivious to anything but the tiny woman.

Ann clears her throat and wipes at her face before asking in a cracked voice, “are you hurting, Sharon?”

“No. It doesn't hurt anymore. I'm just tired.” She sniffles and pulls Ray closer, hiding her face under his chin.

Niq looks around.Mary is gone and the area is warm and bright again. Niq leaves the alcove, Sharon has enough attention and something is wrong with Mary.

~

It only takes a minute to find her. Niq easily follows the deepening chill out past the large ornate pillars to the walkway and comes around the bend. Stepping around the corner was like stepping into a different season. The hedges are covered in a thick layer of frost and snow falls slowly to the ground though there's no clouds overhead. Her shoes crunch when she steps and she can see her breath as she approaches.

“Mary?” Niq calls out gently as she crouches next to her, hoping the woman is responsive. Her heart aches at the sight.

Mary kneels bent over, holding her shoulders and rocking. Her breath is fast and uneven, it's clear she's crying but there is very little sound. Snowflakes form next to her eyes and drift away to join the snow piled around her.

“Hey there, it's ok” Niq keeps her voice low and soft, reaching out to put a hand on Mary’s upper back. “Sharon is ok. The others are staying with her.” Niq fights the shivers.She's not dressed for this kind of weather. She reaches with her other hand and takes a gentle grip on Mary's wrist, pulling the arm away from her shoulder to try to shift Mary's attention.

Mary seems to come back a bit and lifts her head.

Niq's heart wrenches at the misery on the woman's face. She offers a hug. Mary dives into Niq's embrace, letting out a quiet sob and causing more snowflakes to drift away from her face. Niq falls back but the hedge catches her. The leaves plump and push up and around them, cradling the two women gently. They end up with Mary laying sprawled in the snow clinging to Niq's waist. Niq wraps her arms around Mary and hugs her close while the smaller woman sobs. Niq ignores the snow that gathers on her hair and clothes. She leans her cheek on Mary's head, the soft purple hairs tickling her eye and mingling with her dark curls. She pets Mary’s back gently, murmuring ’it's okay’s and ’let it out’s quietly.

Niq can't even begin to process what she just witnessed in Sharon’s room, but even more so she's confused at herself. She normally avoids contact with other people, why is she being so physically affectionate in this place? Plus this hedge business, she could swear she felt it sigh happily when they fell into it.

After a few minutes Mary calms and breathes a bit deeper. She doesn't make any attempt to sit up, but her voice calls out weakly from Niq’s chest.

“Thank you, for checking on me. I've never done anything like that before.” Mary's voice is thin from crying, and sounds brittle.

“You mean helping your friend?” Niq tilts her head to look Mary in the face.

Mary blinks, the confusion on her face showing her entire negative train of thought derailed. She shifts just enough to look down at one of her hands. It shimmers with a fine sheen of yellow.

“How about we get you cleaned up. You'll feel better.” Niq says gently, giving her shoulders a gentle squeeze.

Mary nods, leaning heavily on the older woman. She doesn't move to stand or move away from Niq at all, so Niq slides her arms under Mary’s knees and shoulders and lifts. To her surprise Mary weighs almost nothing. The thin woman rests her head on Niq’s shoulder, her forehead pressing lightly to her neck, her hand gently gripping the other shoulder. Niq carries her carefully through the garden over to the riverbank, shoes crunching on frozen grass with each step. They leave a trail of frost in their wake.

As they approach the river the water freezes solid. Niq steps out onto the ice and kneels down, keeping one arm around Mary’s back as she touches the frozen water. Niq looks around, sees the frost trail and then turns back to Mary. “Hold on to me, ok?”

Mary slides her arm further around Niq’s neck when Niq takes a firmer grip around her rib cage.

Niq leans forward a little, touching the surface again, pushing on it slightly. “Be water!”

Nothing.

She takes in a breath and slams her fist against the ice with a BOOM! Mary jumps at the thunderous noise, but nothing happens. Then, a crack appears under Niq’s fist. In the next blink the river is fully liquid again and they both fall in with a splash. Thankfully the water turned back to the usual ambient temperature and not freezing.

Mary comes up coughing, pushing her limp and sodden hair from her face, her orange eyes huge. She looks over to Niq, who comes up sputtering.

She pushes her hair from her face and reaches over to Mary, touching her shoulder. “You ok? You still with us?” Mary nods, still coughing, and Niq sighs heavily, relief flooding through her. She drops her hand away, letting it fall into the waist deep water.

“How did you do that?” Mary stares at Niq, her own hands lowering into the water. Niq shrugs, lifting her hands to look at them, her eyebrows almost in her hairline.

“I don't know. I just… did it,” she laughs, a touch hysterical. She looks out to the rest of the garden, the trail of frost is gone, but footsteps are still visible where she crushed the frozen grass.

~


	7. Slow Afternoon

~

The afternoon is warm and quiet. Red sits with her feet under her on one end of a couch. Marrick lounges on the other end. Ray sits on the ground against the arm of the other couch with Sharon in his lap. She's put the cardigan on backwards and belted it closed again. It hangs even more awkwardly than before but she's decent. She leans against Ray’s chest, her head on his shoulder. He has an arm around her back loosely, careful to not ruffle her new wings. Niq leans against the couch between Red and Marrick, her head tilted back slightly with Red’s fingers gently toying with a lock of her hair. Ann lays across the cushions of the other couch, her feet behind Ray, her head propped up on her hand. She has another hoard of flowers and passes one to Mary every few moments. Mary sits on the ground near Ann and weaves the flowers together into a line.

“What are you making?” Red asks, breaking the silence that had settled over the group. Everyone shifts and looks first to Red then to Mary.

“Flower crowns.” Mary smiles as she pulls the length of flowers into a circle and weaves it closed. She hands it to Ann, who sits up and carefully places it on her head before laying back again. The bright red poppies accent her blue skin nicely.

“Do I get one?” Sharon chirps from Ray’s lap.

“Yes, of course. I'll make one for everyone if they want.”

“Marrick says he wants purple,” Ann supplies as she hands a purple flower over. He clears his throat to get Ann to look again. “’…and white, please.’”

He continues signing and Ann sits up slightly, her hands moving in front of her in increasingly quick, sharp motions, making Niq wish she understood. Ann sighs shortly, her face scrunching as her conversation with Marrick continues. Finally she speaks “Red, how did you know about the wings?”

“Hm? Oh!” Red jumps slightly at being addressed but continues. “Uhm. I study folklore at the community college. You know it's really interesting how much stuff is really similar but a little different in different regions.” Was that the question?

“There's folklore about fairy wings?” Sharon sits up a little, the loose bun on top of her head flopping to one side.

“Well, it's um, a lot of tales say fairies are born the first time a baby laughs. But I think that isn't what happened…” she trails off for a moment, seemingly thinking then remembers the question. “But the wings thing. It was that my professor found a caterpillar on his car. It was making a cocoon, so he brought it into the class. We made a little habitat for it. When it hatched we got to see it. He said we shouldn't touch them, cause they were wet and delicate.”

“Does that mean I can never have a bath?”

“I wouldn't think so. It rains on butterflies, so you can probably just let them dry. Then they will be stronger.” Niq speculates. She sits up and looks towards the flower pile Ann has.

She was just about to ask about something when the air shimmers right next to the pile. She tenses, staring at the anomaly. A square of folded fabric appears in the shimmer. A glimpse of fingertips brush the edge of the fabric as it's set down.

Niq’s hand snaps out, grabbing at what looks like empty air, just above where she saw the hint of fingers. Her grip closes around something small. It's warm and feels like bones covered in soft flesh. She feels a pull and tightens her grip, pressing her forefinger into her thumb to keep ahold of whatever she caught without crushing it. Niq blinks and feels of a veil being yanked away, revealing what's hidden beneath.

All at once she can see a woman, thin and small with pale green skin like Mary but with dark purple hair parted at the center and draped back over her head in two thick braids. She wears a yellow gauzy dress with no back and a layered fluttering skirt. Bright green eyes stare into Niq's face as she pulls at her arm, as if caught in a bear trap and facing certain death.

Niq's eyes widen and she gasps at the reveal. The others look over and gasp at the woman in turn. Everyone stares, apparently shocked, except Ann, who jumps up and scoots away across the couch. This seems to snap the woman out of her stupor.

“Nay! Keep me not!” She cries, pulling at her wrist, her voice screeching and panicked. She vainly pulls a few more times before Niq yanks her wrist down, forcing the woman to her knees.

“Oh no you don't. We need answers and you aren't going anywhere until we get them!”

“Nay. I must leave. My master expects me.”

“Who are you? Who is your master? Why have you kidnapped us? How are you changing us and why??” Niq demands, her voice rising some with each question.

The thin woman shrinks at each question, cowering lower until she's folded up and her face is almost touching the ground. She leans away from Niq, her arm pulled taught. She trembles but remains silent, her breath hitching.

“Detective.” Mary says firmly as she lays the flowers in her hand aside. “That isn't working.”

Niq looks up at her title then scowls and looks away, her cheeks heating at both being called out and losing her temper in the first place.

Mary scoots closer to the cowering figure and speaks gently. She does not try to get Niq to break her hold on the woman.

“Hi there. I'm Mary. We aren't going to hurt you. Please. We have been here for so long without any answers. We are confused.” She puts a hand down in the grass next to the new woman's hand. The two shades of green almost blend into the grass beneath their fingers. “You're the first person we’ve seen besides us. Can you tell me you name?”

As Mary talks Niq scoots closer giving the arm some slack but not letting go. The woman unfolds a bit, looking up at Mary. She still looks shaken but she nods. Mary smiles brightly, her voice carrying smooth warm comfort. “There we are. That's good.”

The new woman takes a breath and looks around nervously. She seems to almost speak a couple times but falters, the green in her face deepening as the silence stretches.

“It's ok, dear. How about we start with introductions.” Mary scoots again, just an inch closer but turned a bit so she can see the others in the area. “As I said, my name is Mary,” she gestures to each person in turn. “This is Ann. Ray and Sharon. He is Marrick, she is Red, and this is Niq.”

The woman looks to each face as they are introduced, her large green eyes seeming to study their features for a second before moving on to the next face. When her gaze moves to Niq she stares. Her eyes unfocus and shift to a bright, cool blue. Niq has the odd sensation of time taking a deep breath and stretching out.

“Neek? You have a funny name.” She says dazedly.

Niq’s eyes widen at that comment. The sense of dejavou crashes into her, causing a ring in her ears. She's been told that before, in a place just as non-sequitur as this one.

~

Niq walks through a forest, early morning light filtering through the trees. They are spaced far enough apart to make the path easy, but are so tall she can't see the tops. She feels slightly out of body. She's still herself but somehow not fully controlling what she's doing. This place is familiar. As she wanders down the path she wonders where she is. How did she get here? Where is she going? She tilts her head as her steps continue on, pretty sure the answers don't matter.

She can distantly hear her feet crunch on dry grasses and fallen leaves. She lays a hand on the trunk of a tree too large to put her arms around. She presses into the rough bark, the scratches to her hand a sharp contrast to the clouded perceptions of her other senses. She takes a moment to admire the contrast between the dark scraggly bark and smooth tawny skin of her hand.Comforting heat radiates from the tree up her arm. She tilts her head again, are trees supposed to be warm in the fall? …are they supposed to be warm ever?

She turns away and takes a step, finding herself suddenly in a field near a wide stream. It's evening now. She takes a seat on an outcropping of rocks. She pulls her knees close to her chest and spots fireflies dancing near the shore. Her chin rests on one knee as she watches a few of the glowing bugs. She can make out giggles as they dance around each other. She looks closer and holds out a hand as one breaks off from the group to approach.

A tiny human shaped creature lands on her palm, glowing from head to toe. He has a pretty face, long ears, and short yellow hair that swirls up away from his face in a wave. His wings flex behind him, barely visible but for a small golden shimmer seen every so often. She can't tell if his short pants are yellow like his skin or white and picking up his glow. She's pretty sure it doesn't matter.

“Have you seen it?” His delighted smile softens the demand in his question. The sound brings to mind tiny silver bells. He barely stays still on her palm, bouncing and hovering in place, his bright green eyes sparkle with anticipation.

“Seen what?” Niq leans forward a little, his bare feet feel warm when they touch her palm.

“The lost star, of course!” He hops up, doing a complete twirl before landing on her fingers again. His attention visibly wanders to her hand. He hops again for a second before bending at the waist and smoothly going into a handstand on her palm.

“You lost a star?” His hands are just as warm as his feet. She tries to keep her hand steady for his antics as she sits up, folding her legs into a cross legged sit and looking up to the sky. The deep night is cool and clear, a smattering of stars twinkle against the blackness. They don't feel wrong. “They are all still up there.”

He falls into a roll, ending up face down on the edge of her palm and grabs her wrist dramatically. “It wasn't me, it was the Queen! She lost her star & can't find it. We looked everywhere for it.”

“Did she try looking in the last place she put it?” Niq raises her brows, even more confused.

He rolls over in a fit of giggles, which are admittedly bright and cheery, but give the sense this little creature is laughing at her. He kicks up into a handstand again, trying to balance on one arm, apparently distracted away from the conversation. He wobbles and falls sideways off her hand, grabbing ahold of the end of her pinky and clinging. He hangs there as if he doesn't have wings and the ability to fly. Niq lifts her other hand, offering it as an alternative. He grins up at her and lets go, falling with a twist that turns into a smooth flight around her hand.

“Do you have a name?” Niq lowers her hands watching him flit around as sedate as a hummingbird. She glances around, the sky is fading lighter.Have they been talking all night?

“I'm Edda. Who are you?”

“Hi Edda, I'm ’Niq. I'll help you look, if you want.”

“Yes! Please!” He raises his fists above his head in excitement and does a cartwheel in midair. He stops halfway and scrunches his eyebrows, giggling delightedly. “You have a funny name, Neek. It’s fun to say! Neek! Neek! Neek!” He finishes the cartwheel with another delighted giggle.

“Ok, Edda,” she holds her hands up again, offering a space for him to land. “First, what does the lost star look like?” He lands gracefully in her hands, sitting on his knees and ankles. He bounces a bit while making a serious face, rubbing his chin as if thinking hard. He can't seem to sit still even when concentrating.

“Don't know,” he declares cheerily.

“How will we know if we found it?” Niq scrunches up her forehead.

Edda closes his eyes and rubs his chin again. This time his entire body stills. His shoulders go slack and his hand falls away from his face. He sways for a heartbeat, looking as limp as a puppet with cut strings. When he looks up again his eyes are cool blue and seem unfocused.

“You're gonna have to See to find it.” His voice has a dual sound to it now, a deep ringing underlying the bright chime. The warm yellow of his glow slowly shifts to the same eerie cool blue of his eyes.

“Edda?” Worry creeps up her nerves, causing goosebumps on her arms and tinges her voice. She moves her hand, and Edda, farther away from her. His unfocused eyes bore into hers and a cold shiver runs down her back at the strange intensity of the gaze.

“You must See to be found.” The bright chime of his voice is almost fully overtaken by the resonant tone. She can feel it reverberate through her bones. He kneels up on her palm, his face blank of all his earlier expression as he lifts his hand, reaching slowly towards her face.

She glances around, the urge to flee clawing at her chest. They are completely alone. All the other playing sprites are no where to be found. She tosses him out of her hand and tries to scoot back off the rock. All at once he's the size of a human, larger than she is, kneeling steadily on the rock and looming over her, still reaching. 

“Aaaah!” She shoves at his chest, falling off the rock and away from his grasp.

“You must See…” His deep ringing voice echoes in her ears as she hits the floor with a thud! She lays tangled in in a heap, breathing hard, her heart pounding in her ears.

It takes a few seconds before the panic and confusion subsides and she realizes she fell out of bed. She pushes up into a sitting position, her heart still racing. Niq blows out a long breath, willing the last of her nerves to settle.

~

The moment is broken when the woman blinks and her eyes turn green again. Did Niq just imagine the blue? Deja vou rings in her ears.

“I am Sybilla.” She puts her free hand on her chest and dips her head deeply to the group. She seems much calmer than a few seconds ago.

“Hello, Sybilla.” Mary responds quickly, trying to keep the woman engaged. “What did you bring with you today?” She touches the folded material.

“Clothes. For the Rose of Sharon.” She looks at Sharon then back to Mary. Sharon stiffens at the look and squirms closer to Ray, her yellow cheeks turning a bit orange. “I thought she would like to wear something fit…”

“That was thoughtful of–” Mary starts but Sybilla continues.

“…for when she begins service.”

A lot of things happen at once, then.

“What?!” Ann and Niq both shout.

Marrick jumps up and steps between Sharon and Sybilla, his fists held loosely at his sides.

Sharon gasps, clinging tightly to Ray as he stands. He backs away from the group, staying behind Marrick, arms holding Sharon firmly. A deep growl underscores his snarl.

Mary stares at Sybilla, her expression blank. The temperature in the immediate area drops sharply. Frost springs up on the cloth near her fingers.

Sybilla looks around and then at Mary, confusion growing on her face.

“Master Taurulian is a generous and benevolent lord. He will treat her well. Healers are highly regarded in the House of the Bull.”

“Sharon Declines.” Red sits on the edge of her seat, her voice firm and surprisingly resonant. Sybilla stills and turns her eyes to Red for a moment, then she dips her head in a slight bow. Was that the right answer?

“Is that why we were brought here? To be put into ‘service’ to your …your house?” Niq pulls at Sybilla’s wrist to get her attention, her look sharp.

“No.” Sybilla shakes her head, she seems sure at first, then looks hesitant for a second, “…none were brought according to the Covenant. However, the master will want to offer Exchange to the healer.”

“Why were we brought here?” Mary seems to have found her voice, but it rings cold. A bell on a still winter day. Sybilla scrunches her brows and shakes her head again.

“I could not say.” Sybilla shakes her head. “There was no Exchange, but you were not sent back. You are not guests, so you would have been left. I meant only to bring food, lest you be without.”

“We aren't guests… You mean we won't be obligated to stay because of the food?” Red confirms, her voice back to her normal timbre.

“There is nothing to oblige,” Sybilla says. She sounds as if it's as obvious as the sun in the sky.

Marrick stands a little straighter, his expression softening. He looks at Ann, his hands moving quickly but without the agitated feel Ann had a few minutes ago.

“How long have you been here, Sybilla? How many years since your Exchange?” Ann asks after his short, silent exchange. She has an unusual look on her face, is that sympathy? She was angry a moment ago. Ray takes a step farther back,not relaxing his hold on Sharon. Marrick shifts his stance slightly, keeping Sybilla’s line of sight to Ray broken.

“I… uh…” the green of her cheeks deepens almost to match her hair. “Here time is different. I, um, I don't …” she tries again but then stops. She huffs a sigh, her brows furrowed and a frown twisting her mouth.

“It was a long time ago, it seems.” Red leans forward, her hands clasped together in her lap. “Who was king of England when you Exchanged?” All eyes turn to Red. Ann scoffs quietly but doesn't say anything else.

“Henry of Winchester.” Sybilla replies readily. At the blank stares she elaborates, “son of King John, King Henry the Third.” 

“Oh my.” Red and Mary chime in unison, their faces almost perfect mirrors of each other's surprise.

Niq looks over her shoulder to Red. “How long has it been? That sounds like he was king a long time ago.”

“Yes. It was a very long time ago. So, you all know Queen Elizabeth, right?” Red pauses a moment and glances around seeing blank looks on everyone but Mary. “Well she ruled for something like fifty years, and died around 1600.” Glimmers if understanding appear in everyone's eyes. “Her father was Henry the Eighth.”

~


	8. Taurulian

~

  
  
Tulen scurries down the path. He stops just short of the last turn before the entrance to the Garden area. He huffs and puffs, bending at the waist to try to catch his breath.After another huff he stands, straightening his waistcoat and walks with deliberate steps into the Garden. He can hear his master’s footfalls crunching the gravel down the way behind him. He must time his announcement properly.   
  


Tulen heads over to the couches and stands before the crowd, not actually looking at them. It doesn't matter who they are or what they were doing. Everyone must stop and listen. He's to announce his master’s arrival, and that is the most important thing happening right now.

“Ah–hem, ah–hem! Announcing the arrival of his esteemed lord, Son of Winter, Bearer of the Sixth Ring, Master of the House of the Bull, Taurulian!” Tulen finishes his short speech with a flourish of arms and a bow, timed to move attention to his lord.

Taurulian steps up, looking down his nose at the people on the couches. He is tall, nearly a head over the tallest of them. His clothes are light and soft looking. His deep purple shirt tucks into smooth fitted black pants, but a bit of material stays puffed at the waist for ease of movement. He wore “plain” clothes today, so he wouldn’t make his potential guest uneasy with the opulence, but the fabric has a shimmer that shows an excruciatingly delicate weave when it catches the sun. He doesn’t like humans and he likes freshly arrived humans even less. Too many questions and too much goggling disbelief. He wants find this healer and leave as quickly as possible.

He looks over the group, trying to find the one his people said was a healer. His eyes land on a familiar face, with deep green eyes, practically drowning in shock and fear.

“Sybilla!” He exclaims, shock washes down his back followed closely by red hot anger. He sees her wrist caught in the grip of one of the humans. He doesn’t even wait for the tiny woman to respond before he leaps into the air, barreling at the stupid ignorant human who dared hold his Sybilla.

  
Several of the humans scatter, all shouting incoherent noise. The one who held his Sybilla tumbles back with him. She let go of her captive and punches into his abdomen. He flies over the couch she was near and tumbles once before getting to his feet. He stomps around the couch, swinging at the thin brunette who summoned his rage. 

Niq barely gets both arms up to block his incoming attack. The force of his blow knocks her off her feet. She tumbles down the short lawn skidding halfway to the little river. Her arms throb sharply.

Before she can even tell if anything is broken he’s there again. He lands on her from no where, knocking her onto her face and forcing the air from her lungs. He picks her up by the back of her shirt and drags her forward.

From the corner of her eye she sees he’s pulling her towards the river. Panic stabs into her heart. She tries to grab onto anything to slow him. She can’t get a grip on anything. She can’t her feet under her. She can’t even catch her breath!

~

“She's going to drown…” Ann says, the words slipping from her mouth as if she's in a daze. She turns to Marrick, her eyes blazing. She grabs him by the shoulders firmly, her grip almost breaking the skin, “Marrick, you have to sing!”

“I can't!” he says, hands firm in his refusal.

“You have to. Just notes! Anything! Make him sleep or Niq will die!”

Marrick’s heart freezes for a beat. He glances over to the river. Taurulian kneels over Niq, holding her head and shoulders in the water. She’s struggling but it's clear she can't break the hold. Marrick climbs to his knees and gives Ann a worried look. She nods back to him, her face set in grim determination.

The notes are gravely at first. This is the first time in weeks he's done more than a breathy whisper. Quickly his voice smooths out. For those who hear it, the sound slides across their nerves, gentle and soothing. Calm settles around their shoulders and each person lets out a deep sigh as sleep overtakes them. They drops to the ground in heaps, one after another. Marrick glances down to Ann, who lays crumpled in front of him. She's breathing steadily, deeply asleep.

Taurulian sways, his eyes drooping. When his grip slackens he comes back to himself, visibly shaking off the effects of Marrick’s voice. He pushes off Niq, leaving her face down in the water, and stalks towards Marrick, murder in his eyes.   
  
  


~


	9. Between

~

Nothing hurts. She feels light, like she's floating but everything is so still. Thoughts flit through her head, chasing each other until they leave her without answers.How did I get out of the water? What happened to the guy I was fighting? Why is it so dark? Did I die?!

Something warm and soft brushes against her jaw. An intimate caress. She jerks back but can't tell if she actually moved or the thing just stopped touching her.

“Hello, Little Star,” a voice says nearby. The tone sounds like she was expected here, wherever here is.

“Who’s there?” She tries to look around but there's just blackness. “What happened? I can't see.”

A gentle hand pets her head, brushing some hair away from her face. She jerks away again but this time the touch doesn't disengage. It settles where shoulder meets neck, the cool contact somehow comforting.

“Would you like to See?” The voice is closer this time. In front of her. Another touch appears, this one very warm and tingling on her right bicep. Her arm twitches but she doesn't fight the soft hold.

“Yes.”

A small dot of blue light becomes visible. It stretches out and gets larger until it looks like a small “u” shape. As it grows the shape changes slightly. Niq thinks it looks like a crescent moon. Soon other lights appear and grow into swirling lines surrounded and underscored by random spots. As the lights expand and flicker Niq realizes they are shining from under translucent skin! The small spots look like glowing freckles splattered across someone’s cheeks and nose. Large eyes open, set below the illuminated lines. In the dim light she can't tell what color they are. She glances around. The light is enough to make out the upper part of the face, but nothing of the surrounding area.

“Where are we? How did I get here? A minute ago, I was in a fight… was he …human? He wanted to take someone away.” She trails off, noticing the eyes are large. Larger than a human's should be given the size of the head.

“You don't have to fight here. This place is between.” The soft voice is so close. Is it in her head? The eyes blink slowly, the movement smooth and without the artificial feel of the people at E–Fare.

“Between what? I need... I have to...” Her brow wrinkles. She has to get back, but get back to where? Was the garden real? What about the people? Did the last two days even happen? More gentle touches appear, on her left forearm, upper back, and waist. Each so warm they are almost hot and all tingling. How are there so many hands?

“This place is between moments. Between decisions.” The voice says carefully.

“Am I dead?” The cool hand on her shoulder lifts and caresses her cheek in a comforting gesture. The eyes close slightly, as if pushed up by a smile.

“There is no death here, only decisions that must be made.”

“Who are you?”

The hands tighten their grip. Clearly a hold, but gentle. The eyes approach a little, the flicker of the lights increase so the lines look almost solid. The eyes shimmer and seem to faintly glow the same blue color.

“You are between. You must make a decision before long.”

“What decision? I don't understand.”

“Tell me, Little Star, what you wish to do. Do you wish to punish those who have wronged you?” The eyes lean closer, the intensity of the gaze contrasts sharply with the gentle grips.

“No. I want to protect people weaker than me.” Niq says, almost in a daze. “Protect those who need it.” It's why she joined the police force to begin with. The eyes hold her gaze for a long moment, searching out the truth of her answer. Finally they blink. Niq lets out a breath she didn't realize she was holding.

“Then you must leave here. You must fight.” The voice is firm, allowing no argument, then adds gentler, “are you ready?”

“Yes.”

The light on the creature’s forehead brightens. It's eyes close and the brow creases in concentration. Cool gentle fingers card into the hair at Niq's temple. She closes her eyes as thumbs swipe across her eyebrows, leaving a trail of tingles dancing over the upper half of her face.A tender kiss presses into her forehead.   
  


Niq takes a deep breath, feeling refreshed, just before her awareness crashes back into her body.

~

Niq pops up from the water and falls onto the shore, choking and gasping for air. Everything hurts. For a moment she can't make sense of things. She can't see straight. There's so many colors shifting around. She can't focus. Her lungs burn and her ears are ringing. No, that's not her ears. Marrick is screaming!  
  


“stop…” She chokes out, the sounds barely audible. She crawls up the shore and tries to look towards the screams. Shifting shapes and colors fill her vision like she's wearing hologram glasses and everything is a light source. Taurulian is only a few steps away from the young man. The fae’s heavy stride shakes the ground with each step. She pulls herself to her knees, Marrick’s screams jangling across her nerves painfully. “Stop!”

~


	10. Discovery

~

Marrick watches, horrified, as Niq’s body goes still in the water. He keeps singing notes, wishing the huge fae would fall asleep like everyone else.

For one excruciating second it looks like it may be working. Taurulian’s head dips and he sways a bit, but then his shoulders stiffen and he turns, looking directly at Marrick.  
  


He stands from the body of the detective and moves towards the terrified youth. The front of his shirt is soaked and clinging to him, making him look even larger than before. Marrick has never been more afraid in his short life.

As Taurulian approaches Marrick falls back. His arms coming up in defense. He holds the note as long a he can, but his fear raises the pitch and quickly the notes are screams. Taurulian slows at the first scream. His face twists and he seems to struggle to move closer.

  
In his fear Marrick doesn't see Niq stumble to her feet. Suddenly she's behind the huge fae and jumps onto his back. She wraps her arms and legs around him.    
  


Marrick goes silent, his eyes locked onto Niq's face. He can see thin blue lines on her forehead. Their eyes meet for a second and he freezes. Her eyes are glowing blue, where they were brown before. He reaches forward as Niq and Taurulian fight, carefully watching them, to wrap an arm under Ann. He pulls her away from the grappling pair as quickly as he can.

~

Taurulian falls to one knee and growls. Niq flexes her left arm tightening the pinch to his neck. She hopes fae lose consciousness as quickly as humans. He gains his feet again, punching behind his head. The hit connects to her right bicep but she keeps her hold. Her arm tingles, heat spreading out along her limb. A few small wisps of blue light brush along the impact point, dancing around merrily. Taurulian stumbles on an unusually exposed root and awkwardly goes sideways a few steps. He growls as he twists around to throw them both into a short stone wall, putting his weight behind their fall.

Niq hits the wall at her waist, groaning in pain as her legs lose their grip. Her side tingles hotly, swirling blue lights clinging to her. She hopes her back isn't broken. She only has a heartbeat to wonder what the heat on her waist means before Taurulian grabs her left forearm in a crushing grip and reaches his other arm above his head.

He pulls Niq off his back like a shirt, throwing her right past Marrick and Ann. She lands hard, rolling once and grunts as she hits her upper back on another shallowly carved stone wall. She barely hears the cracking noise from the stone behind her.

Niq struggles then stands, soft blue lights clinging to her left forearm and rising over her shoulder from her upper back. She shakes her head, the kaleidoscope overlaying everything makes it hard to see anything. Taurulian is covered by jagged shards turning randomly and shifting in shape and size. They look like broken glass, clear and bright red with an opalescent film on every surface.She can see Marrick and Ann a few feet away. Long yellowish green transparent slivers obscure Marrick’s body. They shake rapidly as they hover over his image, looking sickly and fragile. It feels like she's looking at him through a window made of hundreds of shifting rectangles.Ann lays limply in his arms and has a blue cloud of shapes over her, moving slowly and looking calm. Is she asleep?

Niq looks back to Taurulian, sets her stance, and raises her fists. She's not done fighting. The blue in her eyes flare as she rushes forward. Taurulian runs at her, leaning down at the last moment. He barrels into her full in the chest, his entire weight behind the impact. Niq’s thrown off her feet, Taurulian holding onto her torso as they fly backwards.

The hedge wall shakes as they approach. The branches loosen so Niq and Taurulian fall easily through it. The plants seem to part on their own. The hedge falls away after they pass the wall, creating a large open gap in what was once continuous plants.

He lands fully atop Niq, knocking the air from her lungs. She tries to catch a breath as he rises slightly, kneeling over her, one hand bunching her shirt at the collar. She sees peripherally his fist pull back for a blow, but her attention is on a tall figure standing over them.

This new person is unlike anything Niq's ever seen. Long wavy hair cascades around their head and body. The face and much of the form is hidden behind hundreds upon thousands of shifting prisms, each a different shape and reflecting a different image or color for a moment. Faces and scenes slide into and out of the prisms, colors shift around and blend into and through each other. The sight is incredible and impossible to make sense of.

“Taurulian.” A strong smooth voice speaks from above them. His hand jerks back, dropping his hold on Niq's shirt as he falls off her, away from the voice. Niq sits up and looks at Taurulian. The jagged red shards all move smoothly now, surprisingly soft looking. The red color flees the shapes, replaced by swirls of purple shot through with gold sparkles. She can see through the aligned shards that he is kneeling, his face upturned to the new person. His expression is a mix of surprise and something else she can't put her finger on.

“My Lady.” He stammers. “You've come out today?” His voice shakes as he speaks. Niq marvels at how this overly aggressive Fae could be cowed by the mere presence of this person.

“You have lost yourself again,” the voice is steady, not accusatory or judging. It slides over Niq's frazzles nerves, bringing an unexpected sense of calm. She looks back and stares at the incredible figure above her, utterly transfixed by the sight. The woman lowers down and gentle hands cup Niq's face, cool palms on her cheeks and equally cool fingers touching just behind her ears. The hold is so light but Niq immediately knows it to be immovable. As the face draws near the prisms shift and align, letting her peek through the dizzying images to see the woman holding her.

She is, in far too simple a word, beautiful. Prominent cheekbones support high arched eyebrows, which in turn accentuate large brown eyes with a sharply intelligent look. A wide delicate nose sits above full lips and a defined jaw. Her skin is smooth, the rich sepia almost glowing in the midday sun. Niq could lose countless hours studying this face.

Her lips purse and twist on one side, the expression unreadable. The woman blinks and her eyes shift from deep brown to glowing amber.

Niq jerks back ineffectively, her hands and feet scrape against the gravel stones of the path but her body slides closer to the woman.Her heart pounds in her throat and a cold shiver runs down her back. She feels incredibly vulnerable to those eyes, like this woman will know everything about her simply by looking.

~

Queen Celeste makes her way down one of the many well manicured paths of the palace gardens. This one follows a tall hedge wall before wandering towards a large pond. The sun shines warmly and she takes deep breaths, savoring the feeling of being happily out of doors after so long under shelter. Her eyes wander across the garden lawns as she moseys, no particular destination in mind. She clasps her hands behind her hips and takes another few steps before the hedge to her left shivers violently and falls open.

Two bodies land barely two steps in front of her, the one beneath clearly outmatched by the one above. She recognizes the larger person as Taurulian, Head of the House of the Bull but she doesn't know the woman he's fighting. Celeste takes another step just as Taurulian pulls his fist back for a strike.

“Taurulian.” She says, firming her voice to cut through the rage so clearly engrossing him. His face pales when he looks up. His hold of the woman drops and he fall off of her.

“My Lady.” He stammers, his eyes wide and his breath heavy from the fight. “You’ve come out today?” he manages. The woman sits up, and turns her head to look at Taurulian. Celeste narrows her eyes slightly, seeing his torn and sopping clothes, disheveled hair and a few marks on his normally pristine face. Celeste then looks to the woman, her eyes narrowing almost to slits at the rougher state she's in.

“You have lost yourself again,” she says, carefully keeping both her disappointment and irritation out of her voice.   
  


The woman turns to face the queen. Celeste’s eyes widen slightly at the glowing blue eyes and swirling pattern on the woman's forehead – her crest! Celeste's breath catches in her throat at the possibility and she lowers to one knee. Shaking hands lift to gently cup the stranger’s face and hold her still. Small blue wisps blink into existence, hover a moment and fade as they drift away from several parts of the her body. The queen forces herself to breathe normally, she's never seen anyone so openly swathed in Aisa’s energy. So few are strong enough to bear fate’s touch, let alone carry any portion of it's energy beyond their encounter. This woman is special. She must have been the impetus for Celeste’s own encounter early this morning.

~

It is very early morning and Queen Celeste lays curled up in her bed. Her pillow is soft and she doesn't want to get up yet, much less see or speak to anyone. She sighs quietly, it has been weeks since she's left her boudoir. Melancholy weighs heavy on her limbs already today, stealing what little refreshment sleep had restored overnight. She wants to engage her Court, but simply doesn't have the energy. She closes her eyes and snuggles deeper into the soft quiet comfort of her blankets, but sleep eludes her. Dim pink light filters in from the open balcony doors giving her room a hazy and unfocused look. She can see her attendant kneeling on her bedside table, the tiny fae's eyes are closed and she seems to be asleep still. She has short blond hair that sweeps away from her face and up into a bit of a curl. The attendant wears a pale blue backless dress with a short layered skirt that brings to mind early summer flowers. Her skin looks a bit yellow from the soft glow surrounding her entire body. Celeste closes her eyes after watching the fae for a moment.

When she opens them again she is surrounded by blackness and silence. Her surprise is quickly replaced with recognition at the utter lack of light and sound. Celeste tilts her head as if to hear better but there is nothing to hear. She sighs and relaxes into the wait. She doesn't have to wait long.

“Hello, My Queen,” a voice says nearby. Celeste’s eyes turn towards the voice but there is only blackness.

“Hello, Aisa,” she responds, her voice even and empty of the slight irritation she feels. “Why have you brought me here?”

“It has been long since we last met. I thought you had abandoned me entirely.” Aisa’s disembodied voice complains, the playful tone at the end lightening the mood a bit.

“Illuminate, so we may speak.” Celeste keeps her own tone mild, though her eyebrows dip in irritation as her patience wears. A moment passes before a small blue glowing crescent appears in front of Celeste. It is another heartbeat before a smattering of freckles and few wide jagged lines appear. Aisa has large eyes, defined cheekbones and a short narrow nose. Thin lips are curled into an impish smile. Glowing freckles run across the fae’s cheeks and nose. A few of the lines rise from the fae’s eyebrows to its temples, getting lost in wispy hair. Others frame the edges of the cheeks and curve down its jaw and neck. The light is enough to see the face and shoulders but nothing of the surrounding area.

“Thank you,” Celeste says, then continues in a less formal tone “now, why have you brought me here?”

“I have brought you nowhere. This place is between.” Aisa’s smile deepens, it's eyes closing slightly as the smile pushes the cheeks up.

“Speak plainly, lest you call my ire,” Celeste warns, though her face holds none of her supposed displeasure. Aisa giggles and a thin hand pets Celeste’s cheek in an overly familiar way.

“Ah, My Queen, you know full well I am no subject of yours. Your wrath is inconsequential here.” Aisa’s voice is warm and intimate, the fae hovering well inside the reach of the queen.

Celeste smiles softly and leans into the touch, laying her hand over Aisa’s on her cheek. She sighs, knowing she would not see this particular creature if she were not facing a decision with far reaching consequences.

“What fateful decision lies before me?” Celeste asks, her eyes closing momentarily as she enjoys the contact between them. Aisa laughs again, softer this time then leans in close.

“Tell me, My Queen, what you wish to do.” Aisa recites, the voice almost a whisper, face nearly touching the queen's as large blue eyes look unblinking into warm brown. “Do you wish to stay abed this day?” Aisa’s face is serious, but soon overtaken with a wide, almost giddy smile.

Celeste looks at the smaller fae in confusion at the apparently inconsequential question. Then it clicks and she smiles, chuckles softly, and nods.

“I understand. Thank you, Aisa.” The queen closes her eyes and a light kiss presses into her forehead.

When she opens them she is again in her bed, looking at her sleeping attendant in the soft pink light of morning. She lays there a while, playing her encounter back in her head, examining it from every angle. The great fatigue that suffocated her recent days evaporates, replaced by growing curiosity. She has never seen Aisa without a momentous decision to make immediately, but all that was asked was if she would stay sequestered. There must be something else. Something happening to cause the mysterious creature of fate to desperately want her to be out of her suites.

She reaches up and touches her forehead when she notices it tingling. Did Aisa pull some of her life energy during the kiss? Something truly extraordinary must be on the horizon for such a taboo to be broken.

She sighs again knowing she won't get any answers laying in bed. She pushes her blankets aside and sits up. The attendant opens her eyes at the small noise and jumps into the air, wings aflutter and the light emanating from her tiny body brightening considerably.   
  


“Good morning, my Lady,” she chimes, her voice like silver bells in the breeze. She lands lightly on the queen's offered hands and lowers to one knee. “May I get anything for you?” Her thin gossamer wings flex behind her as she awaits her queen's answer.   
  


“Good morning, Aodh. Today I will have first meal on the balcony, then I will take a walk in the gardens.”

~

Celeste looks into the face in her hands, scrutinizing the woman who's not only strong enough to bear fate’s touch like a shield but bold enough to display the queen's crest on her body. She looks over the thin curving lines on the woman's forehead, looking for indications of fraud or tampering. Finding nothing obvious she blinks, activating her Sight. The woman in her hands gasps and jerks back, hands and feet scraping the gravel pathway but her body ends up sliding closer to the queen rather than away. The woman lifts a hand and grips one of Celeste’s wrists. She could never break the queen's hold, but Celeste is oddly pleased that this mysterious woman still moved to struggle.

Celeste looks again at the face, now surrounded by a shifting cloud of prisms. Each one contains the image of a memory, tinted by the emotion this woman lived as the memories were created. They are all laid bare, ready to be viewed at the queen's discretion. So her name is Niq. No, that name tastes shallow. Her true name is something else, but has been hidden behind this one for years on end. A quick glance over the shards created in the last few days reveals a garden full of confused humans, each in varying stages of manifestation. Taurulian appears in a few shards. Celeste’s mouth pulls to the side in a tight smirk. It's so like him to be so quickly lost to his rage.

“What have you been doing in my truancy?” She wonders aloud, without looking away. It's clear she isn't speaking to Niq. Then Celeste glimpses Aisa, with it's forehead displaying the crest. The queen looks closer at that moment’s shard. Niq had no way of knowing what she was seeing in Aisa, but Celeste has known the fateful creature longer than her own life. She can see the trouble Aisa had containing the borrowed energy, carried for only a few hours before Niq's encounter with it. She looks away from the memory, back to the face in her hands, taking in the whole of this woman. She looks below Aisa’s shroud to the woman’s own energy.   
  


Celeste’s heart flutters in recognition. What at first glance seemed like a forgery of the queen's life force is in truth a derivative, reminiscent of the original spark but distinguished by a new style all its own. Aisa must have used the queen's energy to expedite Niq's awakening. Right in the middle of the confrontation with Taurulian no less. Celeste would not have recognized this woman as her descendant if Aisa had not intervened. She takes a deep breath and reigns in her emotions. There will be time for sentiment later.

~

Niq can do nothing as the woman kneels over her, looking into her face as if scrying into a crystal ball. She grips the woman's wrist with one hand, the other holding her up so she isn't simply hanging in the grip.

The hands move after a moment, shifting the woman's hold on Niq. Her left hand slides back to hold her head steady as the right lifts from her cheek. The woman runs a finger just above Niq’s eyebrows, the slight touch causing familiar tingles in their wake. “There. That should settle that,” the woman says gently. The tone in her voice is warm, almost playful. She smirks fully this time, a self satisfied look. 

Niq continues to stare into the face above her, the shifting prisms in her vision slowly come to a halt, disappearing after just a few heartbeats. She catches a glimpse of herself in one of the shards. She's sprawled on the gravel path looking up, and though her face is marred from the fight she can clearly see glowing swirl marks and blue eyes. When did she get those?? She only has a moment to see herself before it fades away.

Her vision is clear now and she can see the woman before her is truly magnificent. A halo of sparkling light swirls over her head and glints off something in the curls of her dark hair, making it look like her hair is studded with starlight. Her robes are long, draping over her body and pooling around her on the ground. They look soft. Dimly glittering lights shift along the fabric, clumping up like galaxies near the cuffs and hems. This woman must be the Queen, if Taurulian’s stammer is any indication. Niq swallows, trying to contain her fear as another wash of cold moves down her back. How do you repay-in-kind aid given by a fairy queen?

The moment is broken when the queen blinks, her eyes shifting back to warm brown. She looks away from Niq to Taurulian. Her smirk evaporates and her voice goes back into the authoritative tone used moments ago when they first fell into her path.

“You will bring the humans to Court, Taurulian. There we will hear your crimes and decide your fate.”

Niq stays very still, her head held gently by the queen. She tries to control her breathing as the queen speaks.  
  


For a second he looks panicked and like he is going to argue, but he closes his mouth and stands. He stiffly bows, not correcting any of his disheveled appearance. He says quietly “yes, My Queen,” then turns and walks down the gravel path on this side of the hedge.

~

The queen watches stone faced while Taurulian leaves. She waits until he turns a corner and is out of sight. Her grip remains securely on Niq's head the entire time. When she finally turns back her expression is soft. Her eyebrows are lifted and scrunched slightly. Her eyelids droop just a bit as she takes in the face in her hands in earnest, as if etching it into her memories. It's an intimate expression that she obviously does not share with many. Her grip loosens to a gentle touch, her thumb imparting the softest of caresses to Niq's cheek in front of her ear.

“Welcome home, my little star,” she says quietly, her voice warm and comforting. Her eyes glimmer wetly as she speaks. “How I have missed you.”

Niq looks up into the queen’s face, confused by the words. Then she notices the thin blue lines subtly sparkling on the queen’s forehead. They are the same as those on her own face in the shard and the meaning clicks. Oh. _Oh!_

Her consciousness tilts sideways and a rush of terrible awareness washes over her. The hand that holds the queen’s wrist tightens, trembling with the force of her grip. The other crushes a handful of the delicate skirts. Her chest heaves as she struggles for air, her breath coming in labored gasps. Her face burns from the sudden tears that blind her eyes. She wouldn't have seen anything anyway. Jagged torturous moments of her life slide through her minds eye, now with perfect clarity.

  
Now she knows WHY.

Why she had so few friends, both professionally and personally. Why she couldn't really connect with anyone her _entire_ life. Why everything always felt a little out of synch. Why she was so relaxed here and felt such a kinship with the people in the garden. She never did truly belong there, on earth. She's not really human. Was her mother? What about her grandmother, or even her grandmother’s mother. Did they know? Did her father know? Is that why he was so distant? Her sudden understanding brings painful questions she can't even begin to address.

She curls slightly as the gentle grip on her head maneuvers her forward and around into leaning on the queen’s shoulder. Tears streak down her face and smear onto the shining robes. The hand that grips the queen's wrist slides around the older woman’s waist and she clings to her like a lifeline as all the loneliness and pain of her life escapes intearful sobs.

Celeste shifts slightly, settling further and wraps one arm around Niq’s shoulders.

“That's right, my beloved star.” The queen pets Niq's hair gently, her voice soft and supportive. “Release your grief. Make room in your heart so you may feel joy again, for you have found your way home.” She combs a few errant curls away from Niq's tear stained face and kisses her head while the sobs continue. She leans her cheek against Niq's head and sighs deeply, rocking just enough for the distressed woman to notice. The nearby trees and hedges shiver once and then seem to relax and sway easier in the low breeze. The grass under them and even the very air and sunlight softens.

A short while later Niq quiets, the fury of her grief finally expelled. She lays in the queen's arms, held almost exactly as she held Mary a few short hours ago. Her breathing has steadied but straggler tears slip out with each blink. Her heart hurts. Her eyes sting from so many tears. She feels drained, like a cup of water that was too full for too long and just got poured out. There are so many things she doesn't understand. So much to ask but no where to start. She lifts a hand and wipes at her cheeks.

Celeste gently catches her hand as it lowers from her face and settles their linked hands in Niq's lap.

Niq watches dimly glimmering lights slide along the folds of the queen's sleeve. Her voice is raspy when she finally finds words.

“Is this a dream?”

“No.” The gentle reply from above her. “Fae do not dream. Not the way Children of Men do.”

“It's really true then. I'm not human, not a ‘child of man’. What am I? A fairy?” She asks the question but already knows the answer. She never fit in, really, in human society.   
  


“Yes. And no.” Celeste combs her fingers through Niq’s hair, delighted to have her in her arms. “You are a child of starlight, and love. Your creation was more complicated than even my own. But come, my dearest, a garden pathway is no place for a reunion. Let’s get your friends and return to court.” She shifts slightly and stands, pulling Niq to her feet easily then climbs the short broken wall back into the garden prison. 

~

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first foray into writing and sharing publicly. Be gentle! :)


End file.
